Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 512 Rebuilding the Nation (Twenty-Eight)
"What crime have you committed?"

Upon hearing Colonel Skull's question, Kai Morland was taken aback, and the free agents present were also somewhat confused.

What crime did Kai Morland commit?

This is an obvious yet difficult question to answer.

Inside the Great Council Hall, even the most obtuse person could see the signs—the "new masters" of the newly reclaimed province were clearly planning to establish their own independent power, and were even willing to be enemies with both the Red and Blue Rose factions at the same time.

The reason they went to such great lengths, convening a general meeting of all the free people in the province and publicly trying their classmates from the "government" and "military" offices, was simply to cloak their actions in the guise of legal reasoning, while forcibly binding all the free people in the newly reclaimed province onto their chariot.

Therefore, Kai Morland, a high-ranking official in the puppet government who had spared no effort in opposing the New Reclamation Army, must be "guilty".

However, the specific crimes he committed could not be made public.

After all, in any country, society, or culture, loyalty is always regarded as a noble quality.

A thorough search of the laws, precedents, and established customs of the Republic of Palatine revealed no charge of "causing trouble for the New Reclamation Legion."

In other words, all it takes to kill Kai Morland is a rope.

But if Colonel Skull wanted to execute Kai Morland, the rope wouldn't be of much help.

All the freemen present were secretly worried for Kai Morland – although the “new masters” of the newly reclaimed land had been behaving respectably so far, how could the sheep possibly take the respectability between the lion and the flock seriously?

Some free people think even further ahead.

Richard of Blackwater, in the seated district of Iron Peak County, let out a sigh.

He looked away from the judge's bench, exchanged a brief glance with the two fellow countrymen beside him, and whispered with regret and admiration, "Kay Morland... Your Excellency, he's risking his life to tear off the New Reclamation Legion's cloak."

Nandor Krylov scratched the back of his head, looking completely bewildered. Gerard Mitchell frowned, crossed his arms, and remained silent.

Colonel Gaisa Adonis was also seen with his arms crossed and brows furrowed.

From the moment Kai Morland appeared, a fierce struggle erupted in Colonel Gaisa's mind: "trusting the wisdom of his colleagues" versus "ending this farce immediately" fought fiercely, but neither side could gain the upper hand.

Therefore, when Colonel Gaisa heard Colonel Skull question Kai Morland, "What crime have you committed?", he instinctively thought that Colonel Skull was giving this obviously disruptive guy in the dock a way out, and the thought of "ending this farce immediately" became stronger than ever before.

“You don’t know that bastard Kai Morland at all, Mecklen,” Gaisa thought bitterly.

He gritted his teeth, preparing to give the order to act.

Just as Gaisa had already raised his elbow, he caught a glimpse of Winters Montagne's gaze coming from the other side of the hall.

Wolf's Blood gently shook his head.

The idea of ​​“trusting the wisdom of colleagues” once again took over Gaisa Adonis’s mind.

“You don’t understand Kai Morland at all,” Gaisa thought indignantly, crossing his arms. “Not at all.”

As expected, when questioned by Colonel Skull, Kai Morland neither remained silent nor offered sophistry. Instead, he composed himself, surveyed the room, and answered in a booming voice:
"On April 16, 1959, Grove Magnus secretly gathered his supporters to plot a coup to eliminate the Blue Blood faction, and I was among them."

"On April 23, Grove Magnus's plan was leaked, and the Blue Blood Faction and the Red Blood Faction attacked each other. It was a bloody night in Kingsburg, and I was among them."

"On April 26, the remaining members of parliament unanimously passed the new charter, establishing the new republic, of which I was a member."

"December……"

Without a prepared speech or an assistant, Kai Morland stood alone in the dock, recounting everything he had participated in the establishment and operation of the "Second Republic".

From the initial coup to the formation of the new government, from accepting funding from the United Provinces to deciding to eliminate the New Reclamation Corps, he revealed everything, both the legitimate and illegitimate matters.

His frank attitude inspired respect from the listeners present.

The story continued until news of the disastrous defeat at the Battle of River Valley reached Kingsburg, and voices advocating for peace talks emerged within the Second Republic. Grove Magnus then launched a second coup, brutally purging the members of parliament who had called for peace talks and opposed the introduction of the United Provinces' influence. Only then did Kai Morland stop.

Kai Morland didn't recount what happened afterward, nor did the free men present need him to—they were already familiar with it through the popular book "Escape from the Tiger's Mouth," which had swept the entire province.

Kai Morland's statement was of great significance to the freemen of the newly established lands.

Since the devastating news of the expeditionary force's crushing defeat at the hands of the Hed people reached the newly reclaimed lands, someone finally recounted in detail what had happened to the Republic of Palatour after the Great Wilderness War.

Prior to this, they were all trapped in a state of "conscious ambiguity".

They were sober because they had personally experienced round after round of conscription and additional troop deployments, the plundering of the barbarians, the roaming bandits, the main roads blocked by the army, and the corpses of travelers abandoned on country roads—they were keenly aware that everything around them had undergone earth-shattering changes.

However, for these gentry scattered in the frontier regions, far from the political center, the outside world was a blur.

Roads were blocked, communications were cut off, and occasionally a lucky guest would arrive, bringing one bad news after another: this one was fighting with that one, that one was fighting with this one, the Heds were attacking, the government of the Fortress of Kings sent troops to fight the Heds, and the government of the Fortress of Kings had captured Maplestone City...

When the major events that have occurred in the newly established province in the past two years reach the ears of most people in the newly established province, they are often just fragmented sentences and sensational rumors.

The regular announcements received by the residents of Tiefeng County are a blessing that is hard for people in other regions to imagine.

Now, finally someone has reached out a helping hand, pulling the free people of the newly reclaimed land out of the "clear yet blurry" river, explaining to them in detail "what exactly happened in the past two years".

Kai Morland's account was equally important to the New Reclamation Legion, as he revealed much about the inner workings of the Second Republic that the officers—especially the lower-ranking officers—were not originally aware of.

And that's exactly what Kai Morland and his patrons wanted.

Because whoever holds the power to define the past holds the power to interpret the present, and whoever holds the power to influence the future. If one wants to exert influence on the free people of the newly reclaimed land—the richest and most politically repressed group on this land—there is no better occasion than the general assembly of all free people.

For the free people of the newly established lands, the words spoken by Kai Morland were far more persuasive than any announcements posted by the New Reclamation Legion.

However, even Kai Morland and his patrons failed to fully grasp the repercussions of their actions.

Through Kai Morland's narrative, the chaotic, contradictory, and vague "memories" scattered in the minds of the people present are being reshaped into a consistent, coherent, and clear "history."

This history began with a tragedy, was driven by an ambition, and led to more tragedies.

This shared memory will be taken back to the homeland by the free people, and through dissemination, repetition and mutual verification, it will continuously reinforce itself, ultimately shaping the understanding of "history" of every individual in the newly reclaimed province—and even the Republic of Platú.

But these are all things for later.

At this moment, Kai Morland is still standing in the dock, just one step away from the gallows.

Skul Mechlan listened to Kai Morland's statement with a serious expression. He had already made up his mind to take down Kai Morland immediately if his statement contained any fabrication or framing.

However, to Skul Mechren's surprise, Kai Morland's statement was quite objective and fair, and even Skul had to acknowledge it.

Even regarding the New Reclamation Legion's actions against the Kingsburg government, Kai Morlando defended them, not simply defining it as a rebellion, but honestly telling the free men present that Grove Magnus had already decided to eliminate the New Reclamation Legion when the Kingsburg sent troops to "defend" the Teldun tribe.

Unfortunately, Skul Mecklen has no intention of "forgiving" Kai Morland for his meddling.

“Now that you have confessed to your crimes, Kai Morland,” Colonel Skull tapped the gavel and declared in a deep voice, “I hereby pronounce…”

“Wait!” Kai Morland immediately interrupted Colonel Skull, raising his voice in protest: “When did I plead guilty?”

"Everything you just said is an admission of your crimes."

“I’m merely stating what I was involved in,” Kai Morland retorted sharply, asking each word clearly, “Colonel Skull, what crime have I committed?”

Richard and many freemen in Blackwater tensed instantly. The officers present also frowned more deeply.

Everyone realized that the most critical moment was approaching.

"You joined Grove Magnus's conspiracy, participated in the Kingsburg coup, and assisted Grove Magnus in establishing a puppet government." Colonel Skull demanded sharply, "Are you innocent?"

“I am innocent!” Kai Morland declared without flinching. “I am innocent of joining Grove Magnus’s plans! I am innocent of participating in the Coup of the Kingsburgs! I am innocent of forming the Second Republic!”

Kai Morland leaned forward, slamming his fists heavily against the barricades of the judge's bench. He raised his head and arrogantly surveyed the entire room: "My only crime is not doing this sooner! Not being able to save the Republic from their clutches before those madmen, Alpad Duyom, dragged it into the abyss!"

"Nonsense! Utter nonsense!" Colonel Gaisa could no longer bear it. He slammed his hand on his knee, stood up abruptly, and cursed Kai Morland: "General Alpad Duyom has fought for the country for more than twenty years, and his merits are countless. How dare you, a scoundrel, spout such nonsense! Drag him away!"

"Fighting for the country? That's utter nonsense!" Kai Morland turned his head, his eyes wide, blood rushing to his cheeks, staring intently at Gaisa Adonis like a lion, roaring like thunder:
“Gesa Adonis, then dare you tell me who is paying for the military expenses of ‘fighting for the country’?!”
"Who shed the blood 'for the country'?!"
"And who has seized the fruits of 'fighting for the country'?"

"And who else has made a fortune from 'fighting for the country'?"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the audience was shocked.

The freemen present felt both immense satisfaction and trepidation, because Kai Morland and his men had said what they dared not say, and had also blatantly exposed the true nature of the New Reclamation Legion.

Gaisa Adonis was trembling with rage, the dark blue veins on his scalp bulging, yet he remained speechless.

In the brief silence, three officers from White Mountain County rushed to the judge's bench, grabbed Kai Morland by the shoulders, and forcibly lifted him up, intending to drag him out of the Great Council.

Kai Morland clung tightly to the railing of the dock, refusing to let go no matter what.

The scene instantly became extremely ugly, and the main council hall instantly descended into chaos.

The free people who witnessed all this were extremely indignant. They clenched their fists, lifted their buttocks off their seats, and anxiously licked their lips, wanting to speak but not daring to open their mouths. They could only anxiously look around, hoping that some brave person would be the first to step forward.

Just then, a calm and authoritative voice silenced all the noise in the council hall, causing everyone to stop what they were doing.

"Stop—let him finish speaking."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, and the owner of the voice sat in the front row of the Iron Peak County seating area, fearlessly meeting the gazes from all directions. It was none other than "Wolf Blood," Winters Montagne.

The three officers of Baishan County stopped what they were doing and stood there, bewildered.

Colonel Skull then slammed his gavel down, regaining control of the situation: "Silence!"

Then he waved to the three White Mountain County officers: "Step back."

The three lieutenants of White Mountain County, as if granted a pardon, immediately put down Kai Morland, saluted Colonel Skull, and returned to their seats.

The situation has deviated from many people's predictions, and the free people present have no idea how today will end.

But Kai Morland was not going to give up. He struggled to his feet, his shoulders and arms hanging limply at his sides, trembling uncontrollably from the pain.

His shirt was torn to shreds and his hair was a mess, but none of this diminished his imposing presence; on the contrary, it made him appear even more imposing in the eyes of the free people.

"Don't you want to put someone on trial?"
"Didn't you want to sever all ties with the old system?"
"Don't you want to rebuild the republic?"

"Very well!" Kai Morland roared, panting heavily, as he mustered all his strength and addressed all the officers in the Great Council: "I'll put you all on the trial bench too!"

[Orz]
[I will finish writing it, I promise]