In the secret prison, Big Bluff shouted, "Why aren't we even allowed to have dinner? Does the Kong Clan still respect human rights? Prisoners are still human, alright?! "
However, it was very quiet in the corridor. No one answered Big Bluff's question, nor did anyone come out to tell him to keep his voice down.
"That's strange." Big Bluff muttered, "Even the prison guards have been dismissed?"
At this moment, two prison guards came out of the gate at the end of the corridor and walked straight through it.
Big Bluff shouted, "Hey, if you don't want us to go out for dinner, at least bring our food in!"
In the end, the two prison guards did not even look at Big Bluff and left from the other side of the corridor.
"Do you think these people still have any humanity?" Big Bluff sighed as he leaned on the railing.
"Something's not right." Wang Yun, who had been silent all this while, suddenly said, "These people's footsteps are much more hurried than usual, and the strides they take are also about a centimeter longer. Something that we don't know about must have happened."
Big Bluff was stunned. "Say, you're even more mysterious than me now. You can even remember the length of their strides?"
"I can remember the way they used to walk and then compare it with the way they walk now in my mind. It's like two pieces of film overlapping, and I can tell whether they're the same or different from before."
"It's such a pity that you didn't go to the Northwest." Big Bluff exclaimed, "Honestly, don't you think it's a waste of your talent to stay with this tiny Kong Clan?"
"The Kong Clan is located in the Central Plains and is in a tripartite balance with the Wang Clan and the Zhou Clan. How is it a waste of my talent?" Wang Yun said coldly.
"Then do you know how big the Northwest is right now?" Big Bluff said proudly, "The entire Northwest belongs to Fortress 178. Moreover, Fortress 178 has been resisting foreign enemies all these years. What has the Kong Clan done? They're just plotting how to exploit the people every day. Let me ask you, why did the Central Plains build strongholds back then? Was it really because of the so-called wild beasts? I don't think so. It's just a lie to fool the people. "
Wang Yun did not say anything. They were all smart people, so there was no need to refute this kind of thing.
Big Bluff continued, "Back then, there was indeed a pest disaster, and the beasts did injure many people, but did the various forces really not have the ability to exterminate the beasts at that time? The reason why the strongholds were built was because the various forces wanted to encircle their territory and establish a natural class barrier so that the people outside the strongholds would work hard for them generation after generation. Just like how the Soong Clan kept bandits, the refugees could only rely on the stronghold because they were afraid of the bandits. "
"That's not always the case," Wang Yun replied.
"At least for the most part," Big Bluff sighed.
The corridor fell silent again. After a long time, Ji Zi 'ang, who was next door, suddenly asked, "When did you save my wife and child? Were they bullied by the Zhou Clan?"
"A year ago, I think. I think it's better if you don't listen to me." Big Bluff lay back on the cold bed and crossed his legs. "Although we in the Northwest often encourage people to support the construction of the borders and occasionally resort to underhanded means, if your wife and child were not in danger, we wouldn't have brought them thousands of kilometers away. But don't worry, the things you're most worried about did not happen. Your son is very healthy. I even saw him participate in the school's sports meet the last time I went back to the Northwest."
"Y 'all were already planning to instigate me to defect to your side a year ago?" Ji Zi' ang asked.
"Oh, we wanted to instigate you to defect even earlier." Big Bluff replied, "We started preparing ever since you killed that businessman. But before we were ready, you were already sent to the secret prison."
"Tell me what the Northwest is like." Ji Zi 'ang said in a low voice, "If you want me to go there, you have to at least let me know what it's like."
"The Northwest." Big Bluff had a look of reminiscence on his face. "Actually, when I first went to the Northwest, I thought only a fool would stay there. At that time, I was at my wit's end. After I was chased there, I joined the army. I thought no matter how powerful my enemies were, they couldn't possibly provoke those bastards from Fortress 178, right? Fortunately, I happened to get a draft, so I joined the army.
"Later, my old company commander felt that I wasn't serious enough and felt that I needed to go through more hardships to hone my skills. After I left the company, he sent me straight to the border outpost …. Now that I think about it, I still have the urge to scold my old company commander. He was such a jerk. Is that outpost a place for people to stay?"
Ji Zi 'ang said, "Let's continue talking about the Northwest."
"Mhm." Big Bluff recalled, "The outpost was probably the toughest place in the Northwest. The farthest outpost had to take 15 days to reach by mountain road from Fortress 178. The weather was around -30 degrees Celsius, and it was snowing heavily. Sometimes, if you missed a step, you'd fall into a hole in the ice. At that time, I set off at 8 a.m. every day and had to climb five mountains 5,000 meters above sea level to patrol. After that, I would descend the mountains at 5 p.m. and return to the outpost. It was the same on the first day, the second day, and the third day as well … "
The Great Hoodwinker fell silent for a while before saying, "Day after day, the boring days just went by like that. At the outpost in the mountains, I experienced an unprecedented sense of loneliness. But now that I think about it, that loneliness is also a form of strength. Have you ever heard of the saying, 'It's hard to cool your blood even after ten years of drinking ice?' Actually, a lot of people only know what it means, but they don't know how bitter it is to drink ice for ten years. On the way to patrol, you can't bring a water bottle with you because it'll freeze into a lump of ice. So if you want to drink water, you have to use your mouth to warm up the snow.
"Later, I heard that the sentries of Fortress 178 would always ask for a photo of the girl they liked before they went to their outpost. Regardless of whether the girl liked him or not, she would always give him her most beautiful photo. That way, the sentries would be able to stare at the photo in a daze and not go crazy from loneliness. But I wasn't fucking from the Northwest at that time, so I didn't know about this at all. So when others saw the photo, I could only scratch my feet. "Big Bluff even started laughing as he spoke.
Ji Zi 'ang suddenly said, "Who would want to go to such a crappy place? Since you felt it was so bitter back then, why didn't you just leave? Aren't you afraid I'll go back on my word when you make the Northwest sound so bitter? "
But at this moment, the Great Hoodwinker turned serious. "Because you'll find true happiness there. Because you'll be guarding your compatriots behind you in that remote and desolate place. When your commander goes to visit you, he'll also walk the same mountain paths you've taken before. You might not believe it, but I met Commander Zhang that year. He walked for 78 days and visited all 178 outposts outside Fortress 178. He even made a meal of dumplings for each of us. Due to the high altitude, the dumplings were very difficult to cook. But that was the most unforgettable meal I, Zhang Husheng, had in my life. "
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