Dragon, choose cultural victory to make money

"I am a speck of dust from Loman..."

……

"Long live the emperor."

In the heart of the Golden Plains, on land that is no longer muddy, Locke, a young infantryman of the Roman Fourth Legion, completed his morning oath.

He is considered a lucky veteran. He has survived to this day in the Golden Plains battlefield where the casualty rate was the highest, and he has not even suffered a serious injury.

Tucker, his fellow countryman who had served in the army with him, had been buried in the mud in front of the castle several months ago.

Not even the body was found, only a bent nameplate.

This is standard equipment for the Roman army, used to identify the dead who cannot be identified by appearance.

In the past, everyone would carefully preserve every brand they picked up, count them, and hand them in.

Later, I became more and more numb, and I picked up so many brand-name items that I couldn't count them, so I used them as chips when playing cards.

War always makes people abnormal.

Especially a war that is not justified in the first place.

Although he still recites the oath every day and it has become pure muscle memory, the reality he faces forces him to begin to doubt whether he should really give everything for the empire and the emperor.

After seeing too many battlefields, he suddenly realized that he seemed to have been deceived.

The Romans are not better than others as they have been taught in textbooks since childhood.

They did not easily defeat the so-called "inferior races", but instead went back and forth and became disadvantaged.

The most basic fulcrum of Roman's values ​​has now become untenable.

And the wars they launched did not bring prosperity, progress and future to the country that was still in ignorance.

They bring only death and suffering.

What if the war is just to avenge past betrayers?

This reason is also untenable.

First, retaliation should not be indiscriminate. Second, it is even questionable whether these countries should be called traitors.

Because he had been fighting in foreign countries, Locke had the opportunity to read foreign textbooks and learn about foreign history.

From the perspective of foreign textbook writing, they were never traitors. Instead, the Roman Empire was the invader from beginning to end.

The glorious rule and great prosperity from Roman's perspective are, in the history of these ruled countries, a humiliating history of loss of sovereignty and national disgrace.

Therefore, when they later chose to go to war with Roman, it was naturally difficult to say that it was a betrayal. They had never been loyal, and they wanted to fight for their sovereignty.

Locke never knew this.

Or rather, most Romans never knew it.

They are not taught about this in school, have no channels to learn about it, and they basically don't care.

This raises another question: how much of what we have learned from childhood to university is based on this stance?

Locke didn't dare to think about it.

The more you think, the more mistakes you make.

It’s better to be a confused fool and live one day at a time.

His greatest wish now was to die comfortably. This war had no sense of honor for him.

The best thing would be to be shot through the head and die before you can react, and still have an intact body.

It doesn't matter if you're blown up by a cannon. You won't leave your entire body behind, but it shouldn't matter.

As for being seriously injured, he died slowly in pain and despair, lying in a makeshift ward full of dying patients where even sanitary conditions could not be guaranteed.

That's horrible.

After everyone took the oath, it was time for dinner.

Locke has been alive until now and has more than thirty people under his command, making him a grassroots officer.

However, he could no longer remember all the people under his command. He could still remember them at the beginning, but later they were replaced too frequently and their quality became lower and lower. Young people who could not even pass the recruit training were also pushed onto the battlefield.

Locke used to feel guilty for the deaths of his men, but now he doesn't feel that way anymore.

Someone has to be held responsible for the deaths of so many young people, but no matter how you calculate it, it is definitely not his turn to be held responsible.

As a grassroots officer, apart from a slightly higher salary, he has no special treatment, and his meals are the same as those of ordinary soldiers.

Locke took a look at today's meals.

Dry bread, a cup of coffee that was salty and bitter, intestines that had been stored for who knows how long, and some unfamiliar vegetables that were mixed together randomly.

It wouldn’t be too bad, but at least it’s much better than what the refugees who fled the war ate.

But if you want to say how good it is, compared with the previous food supply, it is obviously decreasing.

Before, you could still get some new treats, and sometimes they would provide you with fruits and candies.

Various snacks are very important. When the atmosphere is depressing and the mind is tense, eating some snacks can effectively relieve it.

The superiors never mentioned the reason for the decline in food quality, and the ordinary soldiers never asked about it, as if this issue did not exist.

However, many people can already feel that the balance of victory may no longer be tilted in their side.

Locke received the food and found his soldiers. There was no seat to sit, so he ate on the spot.

While eating, you can tell who is a veteran and who has just been sent to the battlefield.

The newlyweds will also chat while eating.

Most of the veterans are in a state that does not look like living people. They are completely lifeless, just like a stone. If someone kicks it, it will roll forward a few times. If no one kicks it, it is better to pretend that the stone does not exist.

Several recruits were talking in low voices, probably thinking they were whispering.

In fact, since they were the few pure recruits, no one else spoke and it was very quiet. Everything they said was clearly heard by Locke.

"I have some news, but it's not guaranteed to be true. I heard that many places in our area were bombed."

"Where are we?"

"Of course it's within the empire. Where else could it be?"

"Within the country? Impossible."

"I've already said that I can't guarantee the authenticity of this, but," he lowered his voice even more, "it seems that the bombs were all in very critical places, such as military factories and magic stone factories."

"Now that you mention it, it seems possible. Our ammunition and mana stone supplies are getting less and less. The reason is that the supply line has been cut off. Who cut it off?"

"So, I see this battle..."

Hearing this, Locke suddenly coughed twice.

Several recruits immediately shut their mouths and looked up vigilantly.

Locke reminded them that it wasn't because he didn't want to hear negative words, but most people on the front line were negative.

Instead, a higher-level officer came.

To be precise, it was the officer supervising the battle.

An officer with shiny leather boots, neat military uniform and a delicate small metal badge on his chest appeared here.

He looks clean, so he won't appear in a war zone. He is probably following the main force in a car far behind.

Maybe there is even a servant who cleans boots.

Locke glanced at the badge on his chest. It was not a military medal, but a family emblem.

Obviously, a nobleman.

He should also be a noble.

The voices Locke had heard before were all about the miserable lives of the common people in the empire and the oppression and demands from their enemies.

So when he joined the army, he was filled with endless anger towards other countries.

It’s not even any specific country, it’s just… other countries.

Later he gradually realized, especially everything he saw on the battlefield made him realize that the oppression of civilians in the empire might be related to other countries, but it was definitely not the main reason.

He didn't see it either. What he saw was that countless nobles were riding on their heads, not going to the most dangerous areas, but taking the greatest credit and enjoying the best treatment.

If they don't work themselves, who provides these benefits?
After realizing this problem, Locke had an idea in his mind that he had never dared to have and could not have before.

The empire might as well be destroyed.

Don't say anything like the honor of the empire is more important than life.

It had little to do with him when the empire was glorious, and he should not be held responsible when the empire fell.

However, despite his hostility towards the nobles, he was unable to take any substantial action.

The only resistance Locke can offer at the moment is to choose not to salute.

According to regulations, he must salute officers with higher ranks, but he pretended not to see it. He thought the other party couldn't do anything, as they were the soldiers on the front line with the highest casualties and had serious emotional problems.

Unless the violation is particularly serious, they will basically turn a blind eye.

The officer was a little embarrassed, but continued to speak.

"In recognition of your outstanding achievements over the past month, I would like to offer you a reward..."

The so-called commendation was nothing substantial, just a medal and some rewards that were not sure whether they could be implemented.

Most people have no interest, only the new recruits are a little excited.

As for the excellent battle results mentioned by the officers.

They did succeed, but in a very strange way.

Starting about thirty days ago, we suddenly received an order to launch a full-scale general offensive.

At that time, everyone thought it would be an extremely fierce and tough battle, but the process was smoother than anyone expected.

The defenders put up little formal resistance, just artillery fire and bombing, then ran away after the bombing.

It’s not that these two points are not scary, but most of them have become accustomed to them, and they are the most common fighting methods of the defenders.

It stands to reason that when they launch a general offensive, a large number of devil warriors will appear to carry out the most dangerous and radical counterattack.

But no, the demons appeared, but not many, and their fighting spirit was not strong.

Locke once suspected that other countries did not have the money to hire the devil.

They easily won the first wave of advancement.

After that, almost every attack followed this process: bomb a few rounds and then run.

It was just like completing a daily task. I didn't even think about defending it. I just wanted to blow it up for the sake of showing my appreciation.

Up to now, they have almost taken over the entire Golden Plains.

Pingyun, which has been turned into a meat grinder since the war began and has never been conquered, has a symbolic significance that outweighs its actual strategic significance.

Today should be the day to completely take over the plains.

Thinking of this, Locke suddenly understood why this noble officer appeared here.

It's not for any so-called reward at all, I'm just here to get credit.

We dared to go to the front line because we understood that the enemy's resistance was like paddling water, and we were sure that there was not much danger.

Maybe today is the most dangerous time.

Locke thought to himself.

The fact that he was able to survive to this day with all his arms and legs intact in a battlefield with an extremely high mortality rate shows that, in addition to his high tactical skills, rich experience and cautious attitude, he also had an intuition about danger.

In his opinion, there was no reason for the enemy to be so lax in their defense.

They should be the advantage.

So the more likely possibility is that they are waiting for the right time.

And that time may very well be today.

Finally, the officer finished his speech and it was almost time to collect consumables.

Because of limited resources, the Roman army is now fighting day by day.

When it comes to collecting resources, Locke is always at the front.

This may be one of the few benefits for grassroots officers. They can get a little more, just a little.

However, when I arrived at the quartermaster's place, I was surprised to find that today's rations were seriously insufficient in total.

"Why are there only these magic stones?"

Locke couldn't help but ask.

The way Roman's army dealt with the bombing was to rely on a protective shield, which consumed magic stones.

Therefore, every time he collected supplies, Locke would take the magic stone first and then the ammunition.

But there were so few magic stones today that he couldn't bear to take more.

"Because we have reliable intelligence, the enemy's will to defend is not firm, resources are short, and they do not have the ability to carry out large-scale bombing. Therefore, we will use our limited logistical transportation power to ensure sufficient ammunition."

The quartermaster answered seriously.

But Locke didn't believe it.

At this moment, he suddenly realized that the rumors that were just being chatted about among the recruits might be true. The empire had been bombed and supplies were cut off, so they were asked to launch a full-scale attack. This was the final madness.

Locke glanced at the plain in the distance.

The enemy has been passively defending, just waiting for the time when their resources are insufficient. Now the time has come.

And this plain will also be my burial place.

Thinking of this, Locke smiled bitterly and said nothing. It was useless to say anything at this time.

He only received the standard amount of resources and prepared to meet his fate.

……

Half an hour later, the final attack began.

On the chaotic battlefield, the rain-like attacks, the devil's army that finally appeared, and the flying flapping-wing planes that flew by in groups all verified Locke's conjecture.

Perhaps because of luck, he lived a long time and lived not far from the defenders' position.

But there is no possibility of moving forward.

He hid in a blasted pit, with dense gunfire covering his head.

What made him even more annoyed was that, apart from the few soldiers under his command who were still alive, that damn noble officer was also hiding in the pit and trembling.

How did this noble survive?

Locke didn't want to die with this officer.

However, at this moment, the officer took out his pathetic staff and pointed it at Locke.

"We are not far from the enemy position, charge!"

Locke looked at the other person as if he were a fool.

But the nobleman continued chattering.

"Charge! This is an order! You are a soldier of the Empire, you should serve the Empire..."

"boom--"

Locke's gun fired.

"It's finally quiet." He sighed.

In fact, it was not quiet, there were explosions everywhere.

But Locke still felt calm. He finally did something he really wanted to do since the war began.

"Do you have a white cloth?"

He turned around and asked the soldier beside him who hadn't yet realized what was happening.

"what?"

"never mind."

Locke dragged the officer's body over.

"Why is the shirt gray? Oh, but the pants are white. Let's just wear this. Let's make do with it."

Put the officer's pants against the gun, sticking it out of the hole a little.

Then he fumbled for all the weapons on his body, threw them all away, and then leaned on the ground.

comfortable.

According to the Romans' values, outstanding Romans are not allowed to surrender. Even if they are doomed to die, they should dedicate their lives to the empire.

Locke had had enough of it.

After unloading all the weapons, I suddenly felt a sense of relief.

After seeing what he did, the other soldiers hesitated for a moment and then followed suit, dropping their weapons.

Then a few people lay on the battlefield and looked at the clouds in the sky.

As for the Empire.

Tired, destroy it... (End of this chapter)