There was an old man on the shore of Lake Feicheng. Everyone in the Federation, from the president to the street vendors, was used to calling him Old Man with great respect and affection. The uncle in the mine pit, who was chewing wild beef with red wine, disdainfully called him Old Man. Xu Le had also called him Old Man before, but it did not mean that he had the confidence and qualifications to ignore this person's brilliance.
Old Man? There was actually someone in this universe who dared to call the God of War so indifferently and mockingly? Xu Le did not hide the shock in his eyes as he stared at Zhong Sughu across the table.
Zhong Sughu was, in a sense, the most powerful person in the West Woods, and the God of War Li Pifu that he coldly mentioned earlier was undoubtedly the most powerful person in the Federation. This had nothing to do with the political system. It was purely a manifestation of the people's fanatical worship and the military's will, even in the West Woods. However, Zhong Sughu said so with a trace of unwillingness and coldness.
The Federation's God of War Li Pifu did not hesitate to use the West Woods as a training ground to deliberately keep the remaining Imperial expeditionary force in the West Woods in order to plan for the space war that would span across several constitutional calendars. He deliberately let the Federal Army, who was in a temporarily peaceful era, constantly smell the smell of blood and smoke, get used to the cruelty of war, and improve the combat power of the troops …
This was a strategic arrangement that was easy to guess. It was even a state that many people in the upper echelons of the Federation were aware of. However, what was a little cold was that in the past ten years, no one in the Federation had made any comments about this, even if they knew how unfair and cold-blooded this strategic arrangement was to the citizens of the Fallen Star and to the entire West Woods Region.
It was the same for Xu Le. When he heard the middle-aged man across the table disdainfully call him an old man, his mind buzzed as he remembered the fact that he should have understood a long time ago. He accepted the federation's strategy that federation youths like him had been deliberately forgetting. A hint of sincere shame appeared in his heart, and then he fell silent.
His outlook on life was not like those old people who disdained and hated: there was only black and white, day and night, light and darkness, a clear flag, tenacious and cold. In fact, he was very clear that there were always all kinds of unavoidable situations in the world, and there were always gray areas. It was only when the gray shadows crossed his bottom line that he reacted violently.
War God Li Pifu and the Federation government sacrificed the peace of the entire West Woods Region to continuously wear down the Empire's endless and costly expeditions and will. In order to maintain the vigilance of the entire Federation and the combat strength of the entire Federal forces, it was a cold-blooded but … strategically correct plan. For the future of the entire Federation and the sustainable development of the entire race in this universe, there was no other word to describe such a strategic plan other than brilliant.
Xu Le once thought so too. He did not think that the old man's consideration was wrong, but now that he was in the West Woods, surrounded by the West Woods citizens who were tired and even numb from decades of war, and had just returned from the frontline filled with the smell of blood and the deserted graves of the early residents of the Fallen Star … he realized that the people of the West Woods definitely did not think so.
"Since the beginning of the constitutional era, the West Woods have been at war together. The flames of war have never truly subsided, but there has never been a day when the flames of war burned into the fields and manors of the people of the capital ring.
"All men of the West Woods have to go through the harshest test of life on the battlefield. In the three generations of the Zhong family, more than a hundred direct and collateral descendants have died because of this, not to mention the ordinary West Woods citizens. The owner of this restaurant was originally a brother of four, but he is the only one who can come back alive from the battlefield."
Zhong Shouhu's voice became extraordinarily faint, like a cup of coffee that had been mixed with countless cups of water. There was a subtle but unpleasant taste to it. "You and I are professional soldiers, guarding the land and protecting the people, serving the Federation, and dying on the battlefield is only natural … but why do we, the people of the West Woods, have to bear the pain of dying generation after generation?
"The most shameful thing is that it would be fine if we really beat them down. With the bravery of the men of the West Woods, do you think we can't chase those bastards of the Empire out of the planetary system? But … the people of the capital ring aren't willing. "
Zhong Shouhu's lips curled into a deep mocking smile, but it was not clear if he was mocking himself for backing down back then. He said, "War requires logistics and resources, not just the money and love donated by the people of the Upper Woods. Those can buy a good life, but they can't buy true victory. The Federation government doesn't give us these, and we have a serious shortage of energy supply. How can we fight? "
He looked at Xu Le's slightly lowered eyes and said in a low voice, "In the end, the government is still worried about feeding bandits through war. Continuous aid will fatten the Zhong family, the biggest, most arrogant, and most shameless warlord in the universe."
"Especially that bullsh * t round robin." Zhong Shouhu's eyes narrowed, and coldness gradually filled his eyes. "When people are going to die in a tough battle, it will be the people of the West Woods who will go up. The people of the capital ring are like the audience of a play. They will occasionally go on stage and play a few roles, but when the curtain ends, they will have to stand in the middle of the actors and accept Mr. President's handshake and kind reward … Is this fair to the people of the West Woods?"
Xu Le, who had been silent for a long time, clenched his fists slightly and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "But the old man's strategic plan is not wrong. After all, this is for the Federation …"
"If it's for the Federation, then who will care about the life and death of the people of the West Woods?"
Zhong Shouhu looked at him silently. "The people of the West Woods are like the orphans of the Federation. They are wandering in the universe, singing sad songs in the west wind … In the end, they can only receive some charity from kind-hearted people."
Xu Le suddenly thought of the folk song of the West Woods that he learned on Planet 163, and a faint sense of frustration and sadness grew in his heart. He realized that it was indeed difficult for him to sort out these complicated things with his thinking ability.
The night wind blew in through the window, and the red soup froze slightly. The atmosphere around the wine table also fell into a frozen silence until Zhong Shouhu smiled and picked up the wine cup to break the awkwardness. He said calmly, "Let's stop the boring topic and change to something more cheerful."
"Like what?" Xu Le was somewhat depressed, and it was difficult for him to immediately cheer up with the rhythm of Zhong Shouhu's words.
"Like Du Shaoqing, who once suffered a great loss at your hands … Like you, he is a hero of the Federation deliberately cultivated by the old man and the Federation government. If I say that he is just a slightly smarter pig, would you have a problem with that?"
Xu Le smiled bitterly and said, "I don't have a problem with that. I even agree with Uncle Tian's evaluation of Teacher Shaoqing. He is a snow boar demon."
"You don't have to flatter me. Although I have always thought that Big Stick Tian beating up Du Shaoqing was definitely in the top three of the funniest things I have ever seen in my life."
Zhong Shouhu laughed three times and suddenly stopped smiling. He said solemnly, "But Du Shaoqing is indeed smart. In Academy One, my grades are not as good as his. I suppressed him to the point that he was not allowed to enter the frontlines of the West Woods for ten years. The capital ring and the Department of Defense have a lot of opinions. Do you also think that I am a jealous person?"
"I don't know." Xu Le answered honestly.
"Actually, the reason is very simple. Although I am known as the biggest warlord in the Federation, I am also a citizen of the Federation who grew up in a democratic system. Of course, above that, I am also a citizen of the West Woods." Zhong Shouhu looked at him and said calmly, "So as long as I am alive, I will do whatever it takes to suppress Du Shaoqing and the soldiers he represents."
Xu Le looked at him in a daze, not understanding what he meant.
"Du Shaoqing likes to dress up as the plum blossoms in the snow. He dresses himself up as the most standard professional soldier in the universe. His life goal is to become the second Li Pifu." Zhong Shouhu said with slight mockery, "But don't forget that the plum blossoms in the snow are as red as blood. Underneath this person's coldness is the most fanatical heart.
"I have always remembered that this person once said in a strategy seminar in school. 'In order to defeat the Empire, which has the power of an entire nation, the Federation government needs to be stronger, and the Federation's political structure needs to be more efficient and concise.
"If such a hardline military officer is allowed to step onto the stage of the Federation, how will the people of the West Woods live? But that's not the key point. The key point is that from that moment on, I've always felt that there's a very dangerous trend within the Federation, or more precisely, within the military. Some people have a strong desire to change the government system. "
Xu Le wanted to say that he was a typical example of a soldier interfering in politics, but he quickly gulped down a mouthful of wine and almost choked.
Zhong Shouhu looked at the night trees outside the window with a serious expression and said in a low voice, "If a military government appears in the Federation, what will become of this world?"
Hearing the words' military government ', Xu Le's eyes gradually narrowed. This term was very unfamiliar, but for some reason, he felt that the hair on the back of his neck was standing on end because of some kind of chill. His brain worked quickly. The introduction of the military government in the dictionary and the absurd interpretation of several of Master Schiller's plays gradually became clear.
"Impossible," he said firmly. "The Federation has the Bureau of Proclamation. It is impossible for a deformed monster like the military government to appear!"
"Is that so?" Zhong Shouhu raised his beautiful eyebrows slightly and said slowly, "There was also the Bureau of Proclamation during the dynasty era. How did His Majesty step down from the dragon throne? The Glory Of The Charter has never been a staunch defender of the Federation's political system. I think that the Bureau of Proclamation will only be a bystander in these aspects. "
"Evidence. This kind of thing requires evidence."
Xu Le felt a strong sense of danger. He grew up in a democratic society. Although he had experienced the hypocrisy and weakness of the Federation's political system countless times, and he had even done many things that were completely contrary to the spirit of the system, in the bottom of his heart, he still had a child-like stubbornness and naivety. He couldn't accept that the Federation that he loved so much would have a terrifying future where soldiers controlled the will of the people with guns in their hands.
At this moment, he thought of the assassination in the underground stadium of Linhai. Deputy Minister of National Defense Yang Jingsong and the young officers of the Second Military Region, in order to maintain the so-called glory of the military, did not hesitate to use military mechas to launch a shameful attack on a citizen of the Federation.
Many images flashed through his mind, overlapping and gradually becoming heavier. However, whether it was the information given by the old man or some of the things he knew, he couldn't persuade him to add such a serious accusation to Du Shaoqing, even if he didn't like this cold major general.
"What evidence did you have before you killed Macklin?" Zhong Shouhu asked coldly.
…
…
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
