Chapter 317 Destined to Fail

A quick telegram spread from the void. The lords who had fought without declaring war now played the role of good guys. They announced that they would remove the defense equipment of the bases in various places in one day and asked the lords to evacuate the living civilians in advance. First, they regarded this place as their own property, and the people were his property. Second, they were absolutely arrogant about destroying the defense base, which was a declaration that they would never fail.

And he used his family emblem to emphasize that the officials and traitors who helped Magron to dispatch the counterattack war were all executed by Magron himself, but he appreciated the heroism and strength of the local PDF, so he was generous and PDFs could maintain their old positions.

This blatant strategy had almost no actual level and difficulty in execution, but it was very effective because he was in an overwhelming advantage. When his words became an inevitable oath and were decorated with family emblems, even a blatant conspiracy would be frighteningly effective, because in people's eyes, this person was already the actual owner of this place.

Since then, an extremely pessimistic mood has spread in the Gothic palace. The retainers denounced each other in front of the long table and the throne. The colonel who had retired from the command position became the target of verbal criticism, and the great defensive battle became what people here called "something that really shouldn't be done" or "an internal and external adultery".

Just because the track of the port is completely cut off now, let alone leaving this area, just starting the transport ship engine and running forward a few meters will become difficult because of the ruined runway. They are therefore full of fear, just because in most cases, the lord's men will never be liquidated because they are familiar with the work and management.

It is obviously impossible to say that they can't see the provocation here, but what can they do now that things have come to this point? Even if they know the cause and effect of the matter, those noble officials who should not have sacrificed like the soldiers also feel jealous and resentful of the PDFs in their hearts.

Just because the situation has changed, the soldiers who should have died can now survive. They are obviously the ones with military power and actual ambitions, and they should be eliminated the most. They have never seen such a ruler who broke the specific and empty rules and put naked death and killing, survival and war in front of those who deal with ink and kraft paper.

The gap between the sense of powerlessness and the high position and power in normal times made them subconsciously look for a scapegoat. Under the protection of the void shield of the lord's castle, in the complex trenches outside, they have great courage for others, especially those who once protected them.

Just like the ironic saying: human nature is great, the weak and kind will be picked out and criticized for their shortcomings, while the strong and evil will have many unwarranted advantages.

At this moment, the former officer who had lost his colonel position was just the second son of a noble family. His name was no longer a golden rule, but his accumulated connections and majesty in the army still made those nobles dare not touch him, dare not use him to vent their dissatisfaction. At the same time, the kindness of the enemy lord, that is, Earl Weide, who spared the soldiers fighting with him, became a ray of hope in the eyes of those people.

And the dismissed colonel now insisted that he was probably the only PDF member who came here to meet with them. He was so confronted in such a situation, and it was conceivable what would happen to the real PDF members.

But until now, Lord Magron did not meet those panicked officials. There were all kinds of faces in front of the long table, but the person who stabilized the morale of the army was Almiron. He stood beside the empty throne of the lord, as if the lord was still there, and asked the servants to serve the dishes, and a variety of food was taken away like an assembly line.

The servants put all the food on a white cloth, stained a part of each dish, sauce or directly in private, and then put it into the mouth to test the poison. Wine or various drinks were added to the cup and tested with a silver needle. At this moment, the usual prosperity was outlined, simulating the appearance that the lord still had the right to rule. This was the most commonly used oath of rights in the empire, representing wealth and domination.

Food, especially the rich and plump ones with a variety of styles, such as pies, steaks, cakes, and wine, is the proof of the health of the territory, and the lord himself must generally appear, and then use the gluttony to prove his health and rights.

Such a very rough logic is the secret often used by many planetary governors of the empire, using violence to suppress civilians, using banquets to appease people's hearts, and finally the stable power is circulated again until those things can no longer be suppressed and collapse comes.

And what breaks those things may be alien invasions, nest turmoil, heresy, or the forced collection of tithes accumulated several times, but in the end, it will end with the cruel death of the lord.

However, it turns out that regardless of the situation and the world, food, especially gourmet food, has had similar effects and practical uses from the greatest era of mankind to today. After the discussion gradually died down, Almiron nodded with satisfaction, but it was hard to imagine that such a man would do this, fulfilling his duties and bowing his head.

And his loyalty now was just to bet everything on the huge variables mentioned by the wild snake. His sensitive sense of smell told him that he had to do this if he wanted to survive, and his choice was rarely wrong.

He watched the banquet proceed in an orderly manner, but only one person left the table. That was the former major, a respectable man, but now he no longer wore a military uniform. He dragged his robe away. His career as an officer made his aesthetics simple. The dark golden robe with almost no patterns now looked particularly elegant among those colorful noble bureaucrats.

Compared to the premeditated idiots who were just messing around, he seemed to have some goal. However, under the current circumstances, his departure made everyone much happier, as if a disaster had left. Only Almiron slightly moved away from his position. , other nobles asked him. "Mr. Almiron, everyone knows what you do. If the lord can still be canonized, you will probably be the next newly promoted noble. Come, come and toast with us. Although we don't have time to wait for that day, but now, At this moment, we are on the same level.”

Almiron looked at those nobles, with fat heads, big ears, fat brains, gorgeous clothes, tall canes, inlaid skulls, Gothic dresses and honors, big manors or servants. He once longed for it, and he still wants it now, but he understands , if you want to live, you can't be like them. "Sorry, everyone, I have my own affairs, scheduling, a lot of scheduling, so I can't spend time with you all. I'm really sorry." He bowed and left quickly, catching up with the colonel who walked into the side hall and approached the church, and then asked .

"What are you going to do?" Almiron yelled. "Leaving the banquet, do you want those nobles to suspect that we are in danger?"

The colonel simply replied. "Give up those complicated etiquette and performances, now is not the time for that, the battlefield has awakened the military part of me, and now I realize that survival is more important than anything else."

"I need the lords, Lord Magron's guards. Even if the Flagellants have been lost, even if I am no longer an officer, I am still the most powerful commander in this territory and this fortress."

Almiron asked. "But if you are a former PDF, you will definitely survive. No matter how miserable you are, you can only live like a civilian. There is no suffering. It is unlucky for me to be like this. I regret not joining the army."

The colonel said it to the point. "I know how that man treats soldiers, and I have seen his tactics. For a person who is so ruthless and does not consider the consequences, even if he is really open to the PDF network, it is only for soldiers and civilians. Senior officials like you and me will inevitably be liquidated. , don’t dream like those losers, I’m awake, and now I’m suffocating, so I have to dig into the dirt with my palms to breathe, I don’t want to die in a coffin!”

"You can see clearly, but why don't I know that those things want us to be eaten alive? They are all villains and hunting dogs. Okay, let me tell you, the lord is listening to the emperor's teachings in the church. Mr. Wild Snake is also inside, if you want to survive, go ahead." Almiron said bluntly and expressed his willingness to join the colonel in this final resistance.

The colonel took off his heavy hat and put it on his chest, bowed, and stepped forward resolutely, pushing open the three-meter double doors that were thick and carved with skulls. The colorful windows cast a dim and cold light on the emperor who was parked in the hall. On the sculpture, there is a shrine composed of countless candles, with eulogies fixed on vellum, mourning for the victims, singing praises to the Emperor, and the flaming sword held high is shining with light.

But it was pitch black under his feet, and the light had not penetrated into the ground. Now the artificial light in the fortress was getting weaker and weaker. Days of bombing had destroyed most of the light sources. Therefore, the temperature in the fortress was now only about 4 degrees Celsius, which was very cold.

In the warm light of the dim candle, the lord looked much older. He knelt on the ground with his head pressed against the ground. He looked like an embryo, a baby, waiting in his mother's womb. He was called the man of the wild snake. Standing next to him, looking at the lifelike statue face of the Emperor, silent.

This picture was like an oil painting, frozen there for a long time, until the colonel's arrival broke the tranquility, and he asked straight to the point. "Lord, give me your soldiers, and I will protect this castle. The void shield will prevent this place from falling. The trenches will make the enemy cry. I only need your approval. We have not lost, and neither have those who sacrificed. In vain.”

The lord was still kneeling on the ground, silent, and could only let the wild snake answer. "We lost, once and for all."

"What do you mean? The enemy has not logged in and the bombing has not started yet. They have been attacking us for more than a month, almost 34 days, but they have not taken down any of our fortress defense arrays. They are just cowards with strong mouths." The colonel did not Answer question.

The wild snake answered. "They don't attack because they don't need to. When they gather so many ships and dock in our void, when the Karak galleon is sacrificed, we have no hope, and this world is not just about force that can kill people."

"Conspiracy works as well."

The colonel frowned and cursed. "Then you can solve the problem by hiding here?"

The lord raised his head at this moment, his flat and friendly face showing a Cixi expression. "Yes, as long as I show enough cowardice, fear, and fear to see others, then Weide will stop and appreciate my fear. Although I am not afraid, I have to pretend to be afraid."

"What do you mean? What can waiting bring?" the colonel asked in confusion.

"To be precise, we have reinforcements, which are stronger than most reinforcements you can imagine. What the enemy needs is not the death of the lord, but the storage under this castle." Wild Snake replied.

asked the colonel. "What's here?"

The wild snake smiled. "Food in denominations of 25 million Throne Coins, available in stock, is enough to support the advancement of a million-strong force. Even if alcohol is burned to provide energy for the spacecraft, it is enough to sustain the war for more than a year without using subspace engines!"

"25 million?" The colonel couldn't believe it. This was an astronomical figure. According to the black market price, a precision plasma gun was only 80 throne coins. If it was wrapped in a carapace or a semi-military auxiliary exoskeleton, plus the soldiers' rations or employment, even if it was at the highest standard he could imagine, it could form an unimaginable force.

He suddenly smiled bitterly. He realized that his understanding was not enough to spend so many resources. At this level across planets and fortresses, he already understood who they served, the empire, or someone who could represent the empire's huge will, and therefore, the answer was about to come out.

But before the colonel's joy could condense into a more definite entity, a kind of gunpowder, that is, the breath of war, reached his mind. It was from the faint vibration of the air and the unfounded noise in the quiet church that began to pull his nerves, he muttered. "The attack has begun?"

But he quickly denied himself and said. "No way. If the lord wants his words to be credible, then he will definitely not take action. At this time, the army..." An absurd but highly likely situation appeared in his mind, that is, the soldiers mutinied. There are still a considerable number of local PDFs. As long as there are officers who trust Earl Weide's words, mutiny is not impossible.

He couldn't believe it, and immediately ran out of the church and walked to the top of the castle. After just a few minutes, he struggled in his heart on the way. As a commander, he wanted to go to war with his former soldiers? He looked out from the second floor of the castle. In the endless ruins and smoke, several armored vehicles and tracked vehicles began to line up with enough soldiers.

The familiar dark green military uniforms represented their identities, PDFs, and the one who took the lead was the young man who used to be under his command, Major Rice. Now he has become a lieutenant colonel and led this unit to fire at his former superiors.

Now it seems that although they won the landing battle at the port on the surface, they actually lost. Although the dark port was blocked, the enemy also landed, but it was not the outside that landed, but the people's hearts, the hearts of the soldiers, the hearts of the officials, the heart of a certain person, the hearts of everyone. Now in order to survive, people who know what they think is the truth have begun to fight, betray, and plunder each other, just like these darkest forty thousand years.