Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 681 The meaning of sacrifice

On an open space southeast of the Ice Sea Base, thousands of soldiers not on duty were lined up in neat rows, holding a simple yet solemn military funeral led by Commander Vaughn.

No bodies of fallen soldiers were left at the scene for burial. According to the army's aftermath procedures, these martyrs who sacrificed their lives fighting on the ice field would be cremated on the spot and their ashes would be sent back to the capital city of Xinghuo City and buried in the martyrs' cemetery on the south side of the city. Their names and heroic deeds would be engraved on the Xinghuo Monument in the center of the city for future generations to pay their respects.

Therefore, today's funeral is more of a pre-arranged procedure to boost morale and appease the troops... Outside the base, engineers cut large blocks of solid ice early on and built an equally tall and never-thawing ice monument. The military tags representing the unit numbers, names, and origins of the fallen soldiers were placed in the ice monument in advance and frozen together.

As the more than 300 metal military plates shimmered in the sunlight through the crystal-clear monument, everyone present at the funeral fell silent. Many soldiers who had lost their close comrades stood solemnly with red eyes, suppressing their grief, making the entire ceremony both solemn and sorrowful.

Vaughn took the eulogy from his adjutant, cleared his throat, and leaned close to the alchemical megaphone, beginning to read it in a slow, deliberate tone—

"Today we are here to hold a funeral for the soldiers who fought bravely and unfortunately sacrificed their lives in the Battle of the Icefield."

"With the deepest sorrow, we bid farewell to our beloved comrades-in-arms, loyal guardians of the kingdom, and fearless heroes who fought for humanity!"

"They fulfilled their mission with the honor of soldiers and interpreted responsibility and commitment with their lives. Although they now rest in peace in the icy sea, their indomitable spirit will stay with us!"

"From this day forward, their names will be forever remembered by the people!"

"From this day forward, their will will be carried on by their successors!"

"For His Majesty the Emperor! For the United Kingdom! And for all mankind!"

May the departed rest in peace, and may the heroes live on!

"Attention, all! Salute!"

Led by their commander, all the soldiers raised their fists and struck their chests in unison, paying the highest respect to the fallen soldiers with a military salute, and also bidding them a silent farewell.

They then announced their disbandment on the spot. Many people still lingered in front of the frozen monument, some touching their heads to the monument and whispering, others weeping in small groups, expressing their grief and reluctance to part with their fallen comrades.

Benny's battalion suffered the most casualties in the battle; his platoon alone lost more than ten veterans, including close friends who had fought alongside him since he joined the army.

He stood quietly before the monument, his head slightly raised, motionless, as if intently examining the dog tags frozen inside the ice, wanting to firmly remember every name engraved on them.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, someone suddenly patted Benny gently on the shoulder from behind.

Turning around in surprise, he found it was Matteo, the young maintenance worker, again, holding a metal water bottle and smiling as he offered it to him.

"Lieutenant, you've been standing here in the cold wind for over an hour. Quickly drink some vodka to warm yourself up!"

Benny frowned slightly, puzzled, and asked, "Icefield Vodka? That's a rare commodity on the battlefield. Where did you get it?"

Soldiers tasked with garrison duty and combat are strictly prohibited from drinking alcohol on ordinary days. Only on their days off or in special circumstances where they need to keep warm and survive, are they issued small amounts of Icefield Vodka for their use... But low-ranking logistics and maintenance soldiers like Matteo are not entitled to such scarce battlefield supplies. Matteo grinned and whispered, "It was a troop reward issued a few days ago. I received an extra pack of cigarettes, but unfortunately I don't like that stuff, so I exchanged it for spirits from my superior."

Benny gave a wry smile, took the flask from his hand, and held it in a daze.

Matteo noticed the other person's low spirits and instinctively wanted to say a few words of comfort, but he didn't know what to say.

"You're sending me wine out of the blue; are you trying to comfort me?"

The young mechanic shook his head and stammered, "The lieutenant didn't seem particularly sad... I just felt that you looked very lonely."

Lonely?
Benny couldn't quite explain it either, but he put his arm around the recruit's shoulder and walked back to the base with him.

“My hometown is in a small village called Bass Town outside the old capital, Golden Glory City… I used to be an ordinary dockworker. On a good day, I could earn enough to buy half a pound of rye bread, but sometimes I couldn’t find any work and had to go hungry.”

"The specialty of Bass Town is Ralph River perch. You are from Arid Blue Ridge City, so you probably haven't tasted our summer perch. The flavor of freshly caught, plump perch stewed with wild hazel mushrooms is even more delicious than the beef noodle soup we had a few days ago."

Matteo swallowed hard, his face filled with longing. "Really? If the war ends and I can retire smoothly... I might choose to settle down in the capital, but find a job as an airship mail carrier. That way, I'll have the chance to go to the lieutenant's hometown, and maybe I'll even have the opportunity to taste this delicacy!"

Seeing the recruits' innocent and longing expressions, Benny, whose memories were stirred, couldn't help but smile and say, "Maybe we'll retire together, receive retirement benefits, and not have to work hard anymore. It would be nice to travel to Basstown together."

Matteo nodded emphatically, then seemed to remember something and asked cautiously, "Does your family... still live in Basstown?"

Benny paused for a moment, then said calmly, "No... Golden City once experienced a devastating plague, and they all perished while fleeing north."

After saying that, he picked up the wine jug he had been holding and took a big gulp of the cold, strong liquor, then let out a long breath.

“I had three close friends who had fought alongside me since I joined the army, and they also sacrificed themselves in the battle a few days ago… They died while holding their machine gun positions, braving the winged creatures’ spears.” Benny said calmly. “I compiled their battle record and performance before they died into a report and submitted it. The officer said that if it weren’t for their bravery and fearlessness, our battalion might have suffered even greater casualties.”

Matteo nodded. He had personally witnessed that exceptionally fierce raid and knew very well that firing back against the enemy's relentless charge without artillery suppression or rear support was an act of completely disregarding life and death. It was simply impossible to do without sufficient courage and responsibility.

But are they really not afraid of death? In the moment before facing death, did not a single trace of fear or hesitation well up in their hearts?

Benny seemed to see Matteo's doubts and smiled as he asked in return, "It is common for soldiers to die on the battlefield. Cherishing life and being brave in battle are not contradictory... If we want to protect our country and homeland, and protect our hard-won good life, we must always be prepared to dedicate everything to it."

As he spoke, he pointed to the insignia embroidered on Matteo's uniform, saying frankly, "In any battle, there will inevitably be sacrifices. Yesterday it was them, today it's our comrades, and tomorrow it might be you or me... In the past, we were all poor and lowly people, but now we have become professional soldiers respected by everyone. Compared to dying of hunger and cold in mines or shacks, what an honor it is to die on the battlefield! Even our names will be remembered forever, and that is enough."

Just like the old battalion commander Newman often taught him—this is the meaning of sacrifice.

(End of this chapter)