Don’t raise unruly people in extreme cold weather

Chapter 857

When Perfectot's carriage slowly drove into the core fortress of the Desert Kingdom colony, the ceremonial guard that greeted him was no less grand than that of Marcel's.

Imperial soldiers in crimson winter uniforms formed neat squares on the frozen square, the white breath they exhaled condensing into a thin mist in the cold wind.

Brass cannons fired one after another on the fortress walls, and the sound of cannons echoed on the frozen ground, frightening the residents of the city and making them curious at the same time. What kind of big shot could make the governor and the garrison commander stage such a grand display?

You should know that the Desert Kingdom is different from Malsel. Apart from some imperial immigrants, most of the residents here are local tribesmen.

Most of them have little culture, and before the empire took control of this land, they were just a group of indigenous tribes living a nomadic life.

These tribesmen have little knowledge and no culture; they are merely the population kept by the kings and chiefs.

In the past, the kings and chiefs were the core of everything in this ancient land. They controlled the wealth, water sources and oases, and the tribesmen could only survive by relying on them.

When the empire's troops were directed towards this land, the ancient kings and chiefs could not resist the empire's army. Those tribal warriors holding scimitars were ultimately no match for the muskets and cannons.

Even if some kings and chiefs borrowed the power of the gods from ancient beliefs, they would still be crushed in front of the Steam Knights of the Empire.

But even so, for this ancient land, it only changed the tribesmen from being dependent on the king and chief to being dependent on the governor of the empire. It is still difficult to understand what kind of honor the imperial regent is.

After all, this is no longer the old world. In terms of the level of civilization and enlightenment, it cannot compare to that of France.

However, the governor and garrison commander here are completely different from the fat-bellied bureaucrats in the Marcel Colony.

Governor Radcliffe was wearing a neat dark gray woolen military coat, with only a few simple war medals on his chest.

There was a scar on his thin face that extended from his brow to his chin, which was a "memorial" left over from the suppression of a local rebellion in his early years.

The garrison commander Valken stood at the side like a bronze statue, his rough fingers always pressed on his sword, his knuckles covered with scars from healed frostbite.

When Perfect got off the carriage, the two local rulers gave a crisp military salute, without any extra flattering smiles or complicated welcome speeches.

They exude a mixture of gunpowder smoke and rust, a temperament that was truly tempered on the battlefield of the end of the world.

Perfect couldn't help but nod secretly - in this cruel doomsday winter, it should be such iron-blooded soldiers who should guard the empire's colonies.

The soldiers behind them, whose faces turned blue with cold but who still maintained the standard gun-holding posture, were the best proof.

Perfect was not a person who liked to mistreat his subordinates. He felt very uncomfortable watching these soldiers, so he said to Valken beside him: "Let them go down and warm up by the fire. It's hard for them to do this in such cold weather."

"Yes, Regent." Valken responded and then gestured to the adjutant beside him.

The adjutant who received the signal immediately gave two orders and ordered the soldiers to disperse. However, Perfect watched carefully and saw that even when they were leaving, the soldiers did not lose their composure and still lined up neatly to leave.

This made her nod slightly. Even if it was just for show, it was already a rare example of strict discipline.

What's more, the Desert Kingdom has only experienced rebellion for a few years. The last time Queen Anne suppressed the rebellion of the King Chief, she had sent several steam knights of legendary level built by Perfectoct to the battlefield. No matter how weak the soldiers here are, they have all experienced war.

Under the guidance of the governor and the commander, Perfect entered the fortress and sat down in the governor's office.

The city’s core defense system is composed of several towering fortresses, and a towering energy tower stands in the square in the center of the fortress group.

These giant metal towers continuously release astonishing heat in the wind and snow. The ground around the base of the towers even melted into a circle of black soil, forming a sharp contrast with the surrounding ice surface.

Although the soldiers who had just participated in the ceremony were wearing neat winter uniforms, they were nothing more than standard woolen coats issued by the empire.

In the extreme cold of dozens of degrees below zero, the thin cold-proof ability of this uniform is almost useless.

If it weren't for the warm force field radiated by the energy tower that enveloped the entire fortress, the soldiers on guard would probably have turned into ice sculptures within half an hour.

As they left, Perfect noticed that many people had frost on their eyelashes, all frozen.

It is these towering energy towers that have become the most solid pillars of the empire's rule.

The tribesmen of the desert kingdom have lived in scorching heat for generations. They use thin linen to block the sun and rely on blankets to protect against the sudden drop in temperature at night.

When the doomsday winter suddenly arrived, these tribesmen were completely unable to cope with it. Even the oldest shaman had never seen such a terrible cold weather as predicted by his ancestors.

The chiefs who initially rebelled against the empire relied on the grace of the old gods sought from ancient beliefs to maintain the survival of their tribes.

Those ancient temples and altars could dispel the severe cold in a small area through blood sacrifices. Although bloody and cruel, they became the new belief of the tribesmen.

But as Queen Anne, as the eldest princess, personally led the army to flatten the resistance stronghold, energy towers rose up beside the ruins, and these ancient beliefs were crushed along with the resistance of the king and chief.

"Regent, there are currently 27 energy towers built in the Desert Kingdom." Governor Radcliffe opened the notebook he carried with him, which recorded detailed data of the imperial colony under his management: "Each energy tower has a radiation range of about five kilometers, covering 134 surrounding tribal settlements."

At this point, a hint of pride flashed in his gray-blue eyes, but his tone remained restrained: "Although the previous rebellion of the king and chieftain caused some turmoil, the empire's rule over this area is now more stable than before the rebellion."

"The main output at present is coal and iron ore to maintain the operation of the energy tower. As for traditional crops..." The governor shook his head and continued to report, his fingers running across the notebook: "The cotton fields have turned into ice fields, and only frozen wheat stalks are left in the wheat fields. The locals' camels and goats are almost all frozen to death. Now there is no fresh meat even at the nobles' banquets."

(End of this chapter)