I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 160: People in troubled times are like grass
War is cruel.

For the first time, Dolan from Shila Town truly realized the specific meaning of the words he had read in the book.

Dolan El, who was born in the town of Shila, was a man who loved learning. Shortly after he graduated from the National University of the Kingdom of Minisia and returned to his hometown, he became a famous scholar and poet in the Kingdom of Bagnia at the age of thirty.

When the kingdom was overthrown and the country was about to become a republic, Dolan was jubilant.

Dolan had carefully studied the republican system that the revolutionaries talked about. He believed that the republic would bring freedom and equality and end the aristocracy's monopoly on power.

Dolan once sang praises of this change in his poems, believing that it was a historical necessity and a symbol of people's awakening. The republic would allow knowledge and wisdom to no longer be limited to the aristocracy, but to benefit everyone.

He was looking forward to the arrival of a new era, an era of greater fairness and freedom.

However, Dolan didn't realize that most of the time, freedom is actually the same as free.

The revolution broke out suddenly and violently. The old king was driven away in an instant, and the expected civil war did not break out. This made Dolan believe in the advanced nature of the republic.

But what happened next made Dolan feel something was not good.

First, Mr. Kara, the initiator of the revolution and leader of the revolutionary party, suddenly died of illness. He was replaced by a man Dolan had never heard of and became the speaker of the parliament.

Then, in the subsequent parliamentary elections, the division of voting districts, the emergence of parliamentary candidates and a series of other events, Dolan gradually realized that the old nobles of the kingdom were taking advantage of the situation to come to power and become the legitimate rulers of the republic.

Soon, someone stood up and launched a large-scale march in the capital of the Republic, Votradnoi, to protest the theft of the fruits of the Republic, the death of Mr. Kara, and even to go on strike and organize the Revolutionary Guard.

Just like when they launched a march, went on strike, then took up arms and stormed the palace to drive the king away.

Mr. Dolan should have participated in such an event because he was involved in the activities to drive out the king and organized a team of citizen crossbowmen to provide strong cover during the attack on the palace.

But unfortunately, he had a fever that day and his condition was so severe that Dolan was bedridden and unable to participate in the armed parade.

However, this armed march was not as successful as the last one, and the participants were even brutally suppressed and massacred by the Republican army on the streets of Votradnoy.

No one knew how many people died in the parade, but when Dolan, who had recovered, walked on the street of the parade, he could still find coagulated black bloodstains in corners that no one cared about from time to time.

When Dolan tried to subtly ask residents on the street for information, he was arrested by the military police.

Dolan was imprisoned in a dark and damp cell for more than a month. When his good friend paid money to redeem Dolan, the once high-spirited, strong and handsome scholar had turned into a breathing skeleton.

Dolan almost died in prison.

No one tortured Dolan because his captors had no evidence to prove that the poet was a criminal against the Republic. The reason for his impending death was simply the poor living conditions and the terrible food that even a dog could not eat.

The cell was narrow, damp and cold. Dolan could only curl up in the corner like a dog and shiver in the cold. He only had a bowl of dirty water and a fist-sized piece of black bread to eat every day.

You won’t starve to death, but you won’t survive either.

When Dolan saw the light of day again, he had completely given up on the Bagnian Republic because he had thought things through in prison.

The so-called revolution was not really launched. There was no soil for revolution in the former and present Bagnia. The roots of the revolutionary party were crooked from the beginning because it did not control its own military force.

The success of the revolution was entirely due to the deliberate connivance and guidance of some people.

Disheartened, Mr. Dolan returned to his hometown... the small town of Hilla, and began his secluded life.

However, just as Dolan's body was gradually recovering, a greater man-made disaster broke out.

First, the Restoration Army appeared, and a civil war broke out in Bagniya. Taxes, which were already high, continued to rise, land was annexed, and men were forced into conscription.

If Dolan had not been a respectable man in the local area and the El family had not been the local bosses in the town of Shila, he, who was only 30 years old, would have been a candidate for conscription.

No, in fact, Dolan had already received the draft letter, but his father found someone and used money to buy the latter to replace his son to serve in the army.

Such things made Dolan even more miserable.

Dolan's pain was no longer felt until the Third Infantry Regiment of the Republic passed through the town of Shila... The reason was simple. The soldiers had taken away all the food in his home, including the stored food hidden in the cellar. He no longer had time to think about too many things.

Because he was hungry.

During the war years, even the local tyrants in the small town had no surplus food!
When the soldier holds the sword at your neck, he won't give you any room for bargaining.

Then, today, a group of uninvited guests came outside again.

……

"Soldiers, soldiers are coming!"

When several peasant women who were digging wild vegetables outside the town ran back screaming, the entire town of Shila fell into chaos in an instant.

People ran around telling each other in panic, and the streets were filled with fear.

Dolan stood at the window on the second floor of his villa, looking at the dust rising in the distance and the sound of approaching horse hooves, and a sense of powerlessness surged in his heart. He knew very well that both the Restoration Army and the Republic Army were a disaster for civilians like them.

"Hurry, hide the valuables!"

Dolan's father shouted loudly on the first floor, directing the servants to hide the gold, silver, jewelry and some precious books in a secret corner of the basement.

Dolan just stood there woodenly, his eyes empty. After experiencing imprisonment and successive wars, he had long lost his former high spirits and was left with only a deep helplessness towards this land.

"Dolan, what are you still doing upstairs? Come down and help!"

His father's voice brought him back to reality. He came to his senses, walked downstairs, and mechanically began to help carry things. However, he knew in his heart that these actions were in vain.

In these turbulent times, neither wealth nor knowledge can be a refuge.

Soon, there was a noisy sound at the entrance of the town, obviously the uninvited guests had arrived.

Dolan looked out through the gap in the curtains and saw a group of people without armor, wearing tattered yellow and white military uniforms dyed into mottled black and gray, pouring into the town. Their faces were full of fatigue and hunger, and their eyes were full of greed and ferocity.

These people were probably roving stragglers who belonged neither to the Restoration Army nor to the regular army of the Republic. They were just plundering for survival.

"What are they going to do?"

Dolan's father asked nervously.

"What else can we do? It's nothing more than stealing some food and looting some property."

Dolan replied coldly, with a hint of fatigue and despair in his voice.

"Then what do we do?"

The mother asked in panic.

"What can we do? We can only pray that they don't go too far."

Dolan sighed, turned and walked towards the basement, ready to check some important things again.

However, just as he reached the basement door, there was a sudden burst of loud shouting outside, followed by the sound of wooden doors slamming and a woman's scream.

Obviously, the defeated soldiers had already started taking action.

"Hide quickly!" Dolan's father shouted in fear, but Dolan stopped. He knew that hiding would not solve the problem, and these deserters would find them sooner or later.

Rather than suffering even worse treatment after being discovered, it is better to face it proactively, and perhaps you can still fight for a chance of survival.

He took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and then slowly walked towards the gate of the yard.

The moment Dolan opened the door, the scene before him made him feel a chill in his heart. Several defeated soldiers with swords in their hands were standing outside the yard. Their eyes were greedily scanning the surroundings, obviously looking for something to plunder.

"Who are you?"

Dolan asked in his calmest voice possible.

A defeated soldier who looked like the leader turned his head, looked at Dolan, and then showed a hideous smile.

"We are good people passing through here and need some supplies. Your family looks quite wealthy, so you shouldn't be stingy, right?"

Dolan knew that these people were just thieves in the guise of defeated soldiers, but he still tried to remain calm.

"We haven't had any food in a long time. We're almost starving to death. How can we have any extra for you?"

"Cut the nonsense!"

The chief waved his hand impatiently.
"Search! Take away anything that can be eaten and held!"

The defeated soldiers immediately took action, rushed into the yard, and began to rummage through the house inside and outside.

The vases that had been well-cared for in the past were pushed to the ground and broken, the beautiful lawn was trampled, the glass windows were smashed, and the scene was in chaos with a lot of noise.

Dolan stood there, feeling hopeless.

He knew that no matter how he explained, these people would not let them go. They were just the product of war, beasts driven mad by this era.

"and many more!"

Dolan suddenly shouted loudly, with a hint of determination in his voice.

"We don't have any extra food at home, but I can take you to the basement and maybe you can find something you need."

The leader was stunned for a moment, then gave a sly smile.

"Okay, lead the way."

Dolan turned and walked towards the basement, praying silently in his heart, hoping that these defeated soldiers could find something that would satisfy them in the basement and leave as soon as possible.

However, when he opened the door of the basement and saw the belongings and books hidden by his father, his heart was filled with sadness.

The knowledge and wealth that he once took pride in are nothing but a luxury to survive in this chaotic era.

When the defeated soldiers saw what was in the basement, they immediately swarmed in, greedily looting everything they could take away...except for the seemingly useless books.

Dolan stood aside, watching all this with empty eyes, but silently reciting a poem in his heart... It was a poem about war and peace that he wrote in prison.

"War, why are you so cruel?

Took away our homes,

It took away our hope,

Yet it leaves us wandering in despair..."

When he finished reciting the poem, the fleeing soldiers had already looted the basement. The leader clapped his hands in satisfaction and said to Dolan.

"You're lucky you're sensible, otherwise your whole family would be finished today."

"Boss, Boss, where's the woman?"

"Asshole, what woman do you want? Do you want to die? Go away, don't waste time!"

Dolan didn't say anything, but just stood there silently, watching the defeated soldiers leave.

He knew that the shadow of war would continue to loom over this land, and all he could do was to wait for the day when the war would end and peace would come.

However, when will that day come?

"Clap clap clap..."

Suddenly, a burst of intensive gunfire came from outside the yard. Dolan was immediately shocked. Are those defeated soldiers going to start a massacre?
He quickly turned around and ran to the woodshed in the yard, pulled out an exquisite crossbow, a bag of crossbow arrows, and an armed sword from the firewood, and ran out.

"Dolan, what are you going to do!?"

The father stood at the door and shouted. When he saw that Dolan did not turn around, he stomped his feet hard and turned around to shout at the five servants on his left and right who had also pulled out swords and shields from somewhere.

"Hurry up and follow the young master and protect him!"

"Yes, sir!"

Five armed servants, this is the main reason why the defeated soldiers stopped at nothing after getting the things and did not do anything unnecessary.

If they really had to force their way through, two or three of the defeated soldiers would have lost their lives here.

Compared to the outcome of being able to escape with your property without taking action, why bother taking action?

Dolan rushed out of the house and looked around on the streets of the town, but he did not see the scene he had guessed. Instead, he saw at the end of the street, those defeated soldiers with valuables in their hands and wearing all kinds of luxurious clothes were fleeing in panic.

"Get out of the way! Don't block the road!"

"Run, run, the butchers are coming... Earth!"

Dolan's heart sank suddenly, and the crossbow and armed sword in his hands became heavy in an instant.

He had a vague idea of ​​who those "butchers" were... In such a chaotic world, only a more powerful force could cause the fleeing soldiers to panic. He gritted his teeth and ran in the direction the fleeing soldiers were fleeing, shouting as he ran.

"Stop! Stop! Don't run. Who is the butcher?!"

However, the defeated soldiers dared not stay. Like hares being chased by hounds, they just ran away desperately, completely ignoring Dolan's shouts, running past the latter and fleeing out of the town without looking back.

Dolan's servants followed closely behind, but their steps were obviously hesitant. After all, facing an unknown and powerful enemy, no one knew what would happen next.

Just when Dolan was about to catch up with the fleeing soldiers, a smaller group of soldiers appeared in the dust at the end of the street. They were all wearing heavy armor and could still run. Their footsteps were as deafening as thunder, as if they were going to crush the entire town to pieces.

Dolan just took one look at the flag they were holding and his heart sank.

He didn't recognize this flag, which meant that they were not the Restoration Army or the Bohemian Empire that he was familiar with. At the same time, they were able to move quickly and kill people indiscriminately even though they were wearing heavy armor, which meant that they were the world's top professional soldiers and murderers.

Such professional soldiers are often the most troublesome for the current Shila town. Dolan has the hope of leading the townspeople to defeat the fleeing soldiers, and at most it will be a matter of a few deaths, but these heavy infantrymen... cannot win, absolutely cannot win.

(End of this chapter)