Alien Arms Empire.

Chapter 1852 1853 Speech in the Warehouse

The dim warehouse was filled with a damp and musty smell. Dusty goods were piled in the corners. A few dim oil lamps were swaying in the air, casting long shadows.

A group of ragged workers gathered together. Most of them were employees of this factory. At this moment, their faces were full of anger and despair.

They crowded in the warehouse, the place originally used to store goods, now became their temporary gathering place. Some of them were still wearing oily work clothes, some were wearing worn-out jackets, everyone had a haggard face and deep fatigue in their eyes.

A burly man stood on a pile of cargo boxes. He waved his strong arms and shouted hoarsely, "We can't go on like this! Isn't this destroying our home?"

His voice echoed in the warehouse like a thunder, striking everyone's heart.

"Yes! They turned our homes into a battlefield. How can we survive?" A thin worker stood out from the crowd, his voice trembling with a hint of crying. His originally peaceful life was completely shattered by this sudden war.

If it was half a year ago, when the battle line was still far from Yucheng, they actually had no idea. Anyway, the war created more demand, and the workers worked day and night, so life was finally bearable.

But now, the war has come to their doorsteps, the factories have stopped operating, they have lost their livelihoods, and have to live in slums at the risk of their lives. Of course, no one can stand it anymore.

  Many people miss the days when they worked in Datang Group. Who had ever been bullied by the nobles at that time? As the saying goes, there is no harm without comparison. When Datang Group left, everyone realized what they had lost!

Now that the Tang Empire has returned, the people of Yucheng, who have been oppressed for so many years, naturally hope that the Tang army will occupy Yucheng as soon as possible and return the days of the Tang Dynasty group's rule to the people of Yucheng...

"Those bastard masters bully us on a daily basis and take away the money that we should have received! They make us work day and night! They molest our wives and daughters! And they beat our brothers and sons!" The man standing on the high place continued to accuse the nobles of their crimes. His voice became louder and louder, and more and more angry. Every word he spoke seemed to be knocking on the workers' hearts.

"Now, they are going to destroy our home again! We are using our lives to stop the attack of the Tang Empire! Tell me, should we resist?" His voice echoed in the warehouse like a huge bell. Every word struck the workers' heartstrings, stirring up the anger and flames of resistance deep in their hearts.

"Should!" A deafening roar broke out from the crowd. They waved their fists, their eyes filled with anger and determination. They had had enough. They wanted to resist and protect their homes.

"Resist!" "Resist!" "Resist!" "Resist!" Their voices gathered into a powerful force that echoed in the warehouse for a long time.

"Should we drive them out?" The man standing on the high ground continued to guide the workers' emotions. His voice was like a bright light in the dark night, directing the workers in the direction to move forward.

"We should!" The workers roared again. They were determined to drive out the nobles who oppressed and exploited them and to take back their own homes.

"That's right! Drive them out!" The workers' emotions have been completely ignited. They waved their fists with hope flashing in their eyes. They believed that as long as they united, they would be able to defeat all enemies and take back their own homes.

"Crash!" A group of soldiers broke open the door of the warehouse, and the shouting crowd immediately became chaotic. Everyone shrank back in fear, and the door was already occupied by the soldiers who broke open the door.

They held their weapons and looked coldly at the civilians gathering, with the black muzzles of their guns pointed at these unarmed people, with no intention of slacking off.

After all, there are hundreds of people here. If they are a little careless, they may give these civilians a chance to kill them and cause a riot.

"Don't move! Who told you to gather here?" An officer of the Lions Empire asked sternly with a frown behind a human wall of soldiers holding submachine guns.

Hundreds of thousands of troops from the coalition gathered in Yucheng, and the entire city was almost fortified. Any unusual movements of the civilians here would naturally not escape the military's eyes.

In recent days, the troops responsible for internal security have arrested hundreds of troublemakers and have become accustomed to such incidents.

Yucheng was once a city under the rule of the Datang Group, and was also the royal city before the Kingdom of Light. The proportion of civilians here is very high, and at the same time they are deeply influenced by the Datang Group, so their loyalty can be said to be very unreliable.

Paul naturally had to guard against riots among the civilians in Jade City. Many of the troops stationed in the city were there to prevent internal and external collusion... No matter how solid a fortress is, it can be easily breached from the inside, and the same is true for Jade City.

The air in the warehouse seemed frozen, heavy and oppressive. The civilians trapped in the warehouse were originally frightened by the sudden intrusion of the soldiers, but after a brief silence, their fear quickly turned into blazing anger.

They were like wild beasts trapped in a cage, facing the soldiers armed with guns, with a gleam of unyielding spirit in their eyes.

The dim light in the warehouse illuminated people's faces, each of which was filled with anger and despair. There were elderly people, leaning on crutches, standing tremblingly in the crowd, with a firm light in their cloudy eyes; there were middle-aged people who had already pulled out boards, pliers, and iron rulers from somewhere; and there were young and strong men, who had empty hands but clenched their fists, glaring at the soldiers, as if ready to rush up and fight them at any time.

"Can't we just stand here?" A thin middle-aged man pushed through the crowd and came out from the back. He summoned up his courage and loudly questioned the soldiers. His voice was trembling, but full of indomitable spirit and anger.

"Yes! What's wrong with us standing here? We are not breaking the law!" Someone immediately supported him, and a young voice rang out. The speaker was a young man in tattered clothes. His face flushed, and his eyes were full of contempt for the soldiers.

"You don't have the ability to defeat the Tang people, nor do you have the courage to go outside the city. Do you have the shame to bully the common people here?" A fat man in the crowd stood up, pointing at the soldier's nose and cursing. His voice was like thunder, echoing in the warehouse. "That's right! When those officials bullied us, why didn't you dare to intervene? Now you think of us!" Another voice echoed, with a tone full of sarcasm and disdain.

The soldiers were somewhat overwhelmed by the questioning and scolding of these civilians. They held their guns tightly, but did not dare to act rashly. After all, they were facing hundreds of unarmed civilians. If they really opened fire, the consequences would be disastrous.

"What are you arguing about? What are you arguing about? If you don't explain clearly, we will arrest you all!" The leading officer of the Reins Empire had a livid face. He shouted loudly, trying to suppress the anger of the crowd. He was not afraid of these civilians, but he was worried that if they made a big fuss, the people above would be dissatisfied with him.

"You dare to arrest people? You bastards! You only know how to bully honest people like us!" Dissatisfied voices broke out in the crowd again. A white-haired old lady scolded the soldiers in her hoarse voice. Although her voice was weak, it was full of power.

"It's okay to arrest us. I really want to see if there is food in prison! We have nothing to eat anyway, so it's a good opportunity to go in and have a full meal!" Then someone else shouted. After he finished shouting, many people laughed and everyone was not so scared anymore.

Soon, a woman's voice shouted, "You are all children, you are all human beings, you all have your own parents and brothers! If you do such a shameless thing, your neighbors will know what you have done when you go home! I ask you, do you still have any shame?"

"That's right! You are all human beings, civilians! Don't you have parents and brothers? Why do you help a group of thieves to bully us ordinary people?" The questioning voice rang out, and then many people began to repeat it. In the end, the voice rose and fell, like waves, one after another, impacting the soldiers' psychological defenses.

"Shut up! If you keep talking nonsense, I won't be polite!" Looking at the increasingly angry crowd, the officer of the Lions Empire who was blocking the door shouted sternly. He knew that if these unruly people continued to shout, the situation would become even more out of control.

"You're welcome, give it a try!" The workers and civilians, who increasingly felt that the other side dared not shoot, continued to shout.

The timid officer of the Lions Empire was a little flustered. He knew that if he didn't do something, the situation would get out of control and there would be a big mess. He didn't mind killing a few people, but it would be bad if the people above blamed him and affected his career.

So he raised his arm and shouted, "Load! Get ready to fire!"

The soldiers, who were a little nervous and panicked, immediately pulled the bolts of their guns upon hearing the order, making a loud noise. They were also afraid of being hit by the crowd, and one person's fist could beat them to death. So they had already wanted to load the bullets, because doing so could at least ensure their personal safety.

Seeing these soldiers pulling the bolts of their guns as if they were about to open fire, the workers and civilians who had never experienced such a thing also became scared. No one dared to shout, for fear that the already extremely nervous soldiers would really pull the trigger.

Sometimes such things don't even require an order. All it takes is one person accidentally firing a bullet...then the turbulent crowd and the soldiers who are shooting crazily can cause a tragedy.

"Stop!" The sturdy man who had just been standing on the box pushed through the crowd and walked up to the row of soldiers. He snorted disdainfully and said loudly, "I was the one who called them here today. I will be solely responsible for anything that happens! If you want to arrest someone, arrest me! Let the others leave!"

"Good! You have guts!" The officer of the Lions Empire behind the wall of soldiers was relieved when he saw someone step forward: he didn't want a real fight, and it would be best if he could catch the leader.

"It would be best if you admitted it yourself! It would save you trouble! Come on, arrest this spy who is inciting the people and intending to rebel!" He waved his arm, and immediately a soldier rushed to the front of the burly man, held his arm, and dragged him behind the human wall of soldiers.

The workers and civilians who were blocked immediately became agitated, and some began to shout again: "Why are you arresting people? What are you arresting people on?"

"Let Mr. Hunter go! He is a good man! Not a spy!" Someone else tried to defend him, but no soldier listened to him.

"Let him go! We'll leave now!" Some people tried to compromise to get the other party to show mercy.

"Don't worry about me! Remember what I said! Do what you think is right!" Hunter, a strong man who was pressed to the ground and half-knelt, raised his head and shouted to the crowd: "For yourselves! Do what you think is right!"

"Everyone, go away! Everyone, go away! What are you doing here? If you don't leave, I'll arrest a few more people who don't want to die!" The officer of the Lions Empire watched the burly worker named Hunter being escorted to the truck he brought. After a slight sigh of relief, he shouted to the crowd, "If you don't go home, you will all be treated as spies!"

"Remember what Mr. Hunter said, let's go home!" An old man felt that he would be at a disadvantage if he got entangled with these soldiers with submachine guns, so he took the initiative to speak.

Many people who were already somewhat timid also echoed: they really did not have the courage to clash with an army armed with live ammunition, and many of them had families and children, so they did not dare to take risks easily.

If we let them find an opportunity to take action, perhaps some of them would be brave enough to try. Letting them create some opportunities for the Tang army would also be fine, but asking them to risk their lives in a decisive battle with the army of the Lions Empire is a bit of an overestimation of them.

So, those workers who had just been holding wrenches and rulers became empty-handed again, and they left through the passage opened by the army, one by one.

Finally, the warehouse became empty, with only the wooden boxes stacked up to serve as a podium left in place. In the past few days, the troops stationed in Yucheng by Ryans have arrested hundreds of workers and scholars like Mr. Hunter, and the atmosphere in the entire city has become extremely tense because of these arrests.

The sound of the Tang army's artillery fire outside the city could be heard clearly, and everyone knew that things were about to change...