Doctor, I'm really strong!

That's how intelligence work works. If you don't have detailed intelligence, then find the main direction, identify the target, and then you can plan carefully and wait for the prey to fall into the trap.

Hongxue's party tonight is a little different because the organization has arranged for him to meet here with a man codenamed "Madman".

To be honest, this codename gives people an uncomfortable feeling. Generally speaking, the codenames of community intelligence personnel are very simple, such as "Diamond," "Postman," "Water Drop," "Vanguard," and so on.

The codename "Madman"—does it mean the mission this person is carrying out is insane, or that the person himself is insane?

Hongxue stood in a corner of the ballroom by the window, holding a glass of "Flame" in her hand, wearing a long red dress and a rose brooch on her chest.

This outfit was a pre-arranged code.

Because of its relatively secluded location, it's difficult to be disturbed here, and you can observe the entire hall perfectly.

After waiting for about half an hour, a handsome man dressed in a tuxedo, wearing a monocle, and resembling a standard street lamp pendant walked over, also holding a cup of "flame" in his hand.

"Beautiful lady, would you mind having a chat about life?"

"Sorry, not interested."

"Then let's talk about the world."

"Sorry, I prefer astrology."

"That's such a coincidence. I also like astrology, especially the sun."

Hongxue's gaze focused on the man, who smiled and said, "Hello, my name is Vasily Shulkin."

"What's your name!?"

Section 336: The Ursus's Craving

(The second day of the National Day holiday, in a semi-reopened state. I hope the pandemic will end soon, and everyone stays healthy. Anyway, happy holiday! (^?^))

Vasily Shulkin, former commander of the Fourth Army.

After the Fourth Army Corps was annihilated, some prisoners of war were released, and he was one of them.

So, is this a comrade who joined the community...?

Unfortunately, that's not the case. On the contrary, Vasily Shulkin is a typical Ussarian imperialist who believes in absolute violence and centralized imperial power. He represents the most fanatical traditional Ussarian imperialists within the Ussarian Empire.

They can also be called the Imperial Faction. They worship power, believe in might, pursue the glory of the Ursus Empire, and attempt to establish a vast, centralized military empire. Because their initial idol was the founding monarch of the Ursus Empire, they are known as the "Imperial Ursus Faction".

However, it should be noted that the Royalist faction is not the same as the monarchist faction. They only want a strong motherland, and they don't care at all about how this motherland becomes strong, what methods are used, what the process is, or who pays the price.

The most extreme members of the Ussuri regime are already prepared to sacrifice themselves for their great motherland. As long as you can lead Ursus to greatness, they will be the most loyal pilgrims, willing to grovel at the feet of the strong with the resolve of martyrs.

It's no wonder that after the rise of the Community, the first thing to investigate and understand it was the "Community Investigation Archives" promoted by a group of Royalist elements. Within their capabilities, they collected and integrated what is arguably the most comprehensive information about the Community on the Terra continent, making them a model of combining test-taking skills with practical experience.

Then these people began to idolize Liu Jiuli and firmly believed that the Ursus Empire would become great again with a new identity. As for the royal family, that was unimportant. The weak emperor should die immediately and make way for the true strongman.

The most proactive person among them was Vasily Shulkin, who had been defeated by the Red Guards and captured by Liu Jiuli.

After returning to Ursus, he became a staunch supporter of Liu Jiuli within the Royal Ursus community. He not only promoted Liu Jiuli's strength but also actively engaged in exchanges with the community through various channels, hoping to contribute to the rise of the great empire.

He, or rather they, don't care about any ideology; they just want a great motherland.

You can call them cold, cruel, ruthless, and indifferent, but they are indeed patriots. However, their definition of patriotism differs from that of ordinary people; they are patriots who admire the strong.

Although these types of people have many problems, if used properly, they can be a helpful force.

The living environment of the Ursus people meant that the Imperial Ursus faction had a strong foundation for survival. In particular, Liu Jiuli, as the founding leader, was decisive and unyielding, which perfectly met the needs of the Ursus people.

While normal Ursus people wouldn't be so obsessed with strength, you have to admit that such people easily take root and flourish in this environment. In a land where survival is difficult, those with big fists have a natural attraction. If they also possess attributes like benevolence, justice, and authority on top of that strength, that would be even better, but these are all bonuses after they've already met the minimum requirements.

Ursus is a place that would rather have a tyrant than a coward. If your combat strength meets the standard, you've already passed the minimum requirement. The rest determines your potential. But if your combat strength doesn't meet the standard, sorry, the people of Ursus don't care about your overall rating. They only know that if they don't get enough food in winter, this day next year will be their death anniversary.

This kind of thinking cannot be eliminated in a short time. Environmental problems can only be solved by changing the environment. The rest can only be left to time. Therefore, Liu Jiuli's attitude towards Huangwu is very clear.

Become my loyal dog, or disappear from this world right now.

It sounds like they're not treating people like human beings at all, but that's exactly what the royalist elements want. The great iron-willed father really understands us. Please make good use of me. I'm willing to give everything!

It's really not hard to guess the thoughts of such extremists.

So when Shulkin and his faction of Huangwu contacted the community, Liu Jiuli immediately assigned them a mission, only asking for the result and not the process. He also made it clear that if the mission failed, they didn't need to come back. If anyone came back, he would personally come and strangle them one by one. They should feel honored.

The result is what it is now: the Imperial Uss faction has become the Ministry of Internal Affairs' infiltrators within the Ursus Empire. Their codenames are increasingly vicious, such as "Demon," "Satan," "Hell," and "Madman." They are directly responsible to Liu Jiuli, but these people must protect the Cheka's infiltrators at all times and, when necessary, risk their own lives to save those of their true comrades.

This order was arguably the most inhumane one ever issued by Liu Jiuli; it truly treated the Huangwu faction as a tool.

Furthermore, these tools are not open to negotiation.

As for the reward, the only reward is that under my command you will see victory after victory.

Only Liu Jiuli could pull off such a feat, because he was indeed secretly manipulating these people, leading them from one victory to another. During this period, all of the community's external revolutionary outputs were victories, which was the driving force behind the Huangwu faction's success.

These people are not afraid of death, but they are afraid of dying without value. In their view, being used by Liu Jiuli until death is obviously a very valuable thing, and they are all happy to do it.

So Hongxue saw Vasily Shulkin, codenamed Madman, who was indeed a madman in the eyes of ordinary people.

A madman who doesn't seem crazy; when he's not crazy, he seems more reliable than anyone else.

"What, is it hard to believe?"

"Yes, the Huangwu faction member is actually a comrade."

"I'm sorry, we are indeed not gay, at least not in the way you understand gay people."

Hongxue frowned: "I really can't understand you. I'm just here to complete the mission."

Shulkin laughed and said, "That's good, it'll be more efficient this way. Let's find a secluded place."

The two arrived at a relatively secluded room. After entering, they first confirmed that there were no eavesdropping devices, no possibility of someone listening through the walls, and no Originium Arts with similar functions before they began to connect.

"The royalist army is running out of food, and they are urgently buying food through various channels."

"that's it?"

“If the royalists’ granaries are destroyed now, many important cities, including Saint-Germain, will fall into chaos.”

"Then the noble alliance stormed into Saint-Germain Castle and killed Nicholas, right?"

"There's nothing interesting about a fight between two weaklings. Let's end it as soon as possible. We're still waiting for our great motherland to be unified."

"You're using chaos as a ladder to advancement, aren't you?"

Hongxue frowned; she was very uncomfortable with Shulkin's statement.

"What a shallow judgment. What I want is not a ladder, but a great motherland."

"The community is not the empire you speak of!"

"It's all the same. Once a country rises, whether you want to admit it or not, it will eventually become an empire. It's just a matter of time. Even if there are differences now, it's hard to say what will happen in the future. After all, there has never been a country like a community on this continent. Today's unity may turn into future fighting each other. The inertia of history must be respected."

"If that's the case, what's the point of what you're doing now?"

“Of course!” Shulkin said with a sacred expression, “To sacrifice one’s humble life for the great motherland is such a sacred thing. Just as you have faith, so do we. In this respect, you are not as good as His Excellency the Chairman. He understands us very well and is willing to let us fight to the last moment in places where we can make our value.”

"But you will never be comrades!"

"Yes, we are not comrades, but we can be comrades-in-arms, comrades-in-arms fighting together on the front of a powerful nation."

"In your eyes, is the Community just a violent empire?!"

“Superficial, too superficial. His Excellency the Chairman’s understanding in this regard is much deeper than yours. He said in his ‘Selected Works on the Spirit of the Community’ that force is the foundation of political power, and that the weapon of criticism cannot replace the criticism of weapons. The most basic logic of human society is still violence and force. The difference lies in what you want to do with them.”

"The people are not tools in your hands, much less weapons in your mouths!"

Shulkin spread his arms wide and said excitedly, "So what? They are also a manifestation of power. His Excellency the Chairman discovered a new power and used it to realize a great ideal and create an unprecedentedly powerful country. Do you want to deny the role played by this power? Did those enemies you defeated lay down their weapons because you had a large number of people or because you persuaded them with your earnest words?"

Shulkin put his hands behind his back, raised his head slightly, and said, "This world needs power to build order. Only those with power are qualified to talk about ideals. No matter where your power comes from or how you use it, it is still a power. To deny it is to deny reality. The tide of the times is surging toward us. Ursus will be great again, and this time, no country can stop its rise."

Hongxue snorted: "A sophistry that uses a fallacy of changing the subject!"

Shulkin laughed and said, "To be precise, it's that we have different understandings of power. But neither you nor I can deny power itself. Speaking of which, Miss Hongxue, you are also from Ursus, so you should understand the Ursus people's thirst for power."

"I'm sorry, I didn't grow up in Ursus."

"But you are also a child born on the snowfield. The yearning for power is a unique talent of the Ursus people. You will realize this sooner or later. The Ursus people have always been greedy in their pursuit of power. We don't need a cowardly emperor. We only need a strong father!"

Hongxue felt that the person in front of her was completely unreasonable.

Oh well, it's just a task anyway. As long as the partners don't interfere with the task, it's fine.

After exchanging intelligence, the Ministry of the Interior quickly made a decision to assist the Royalist faction in sabotaging the royalist army's logistics, especially food supplies, so that the noble coalition could temporarily win the civil war.

Why is it a temporary victory?

It's quite simple, because once the noble alliance loses its common goal, it will quickly descend into internal strife.

If Nicholas's reforms garnered support from extreme royalists and some relatively loyal individuals, then the noble alliance was a collective of all those who opposed the emperor's new policies.

It's like Nikola's fans have been purified, but the other side still has a lot of impurities.

When there is a common goal, and this goal can continuously create pressure, the noble alliance can naturally form a relatively stable centripetal force. However, conversely, each of these people is a self-interested individual with ulterior motives.

The simplest example is that the noble alliance included both the bourgeoisie and feudal lords.

The bourgeoisie also includes factory owners, farm owners, bankers, chambers of commerce, and so on.

Feudal lords included landowners, knights, vassals, high nobles, low nobles, and so on.

It is said that the left can be infinitely divided, but these people are no less divisive than the left, and may even be more numerous and diverse.

At least the left and right wings have a common goal, but these groups are all united by a single goal, forming a temporary anti-Nikolai alliance, which also includes an anti-Nikolai reform alliance.

Did you notice that opposing Nicholas and opposing Nicholas's New Deal are two different concepts?

The former will become bourgeois revolutionaries, while the latter will become royalists when the time is right.

When a conflict arises, it naturally comes down to the traditional Ursus rule: might makes right.

Coincidentally, although there was a powerful lord among the noble alliance, none of them could make a decisive move on their own.

It's like in a company, even the most powerful antique only holds a little over 20% of the shares. The rest of the people only need to band together to a certain extent to be able to turn the tables on it, or prevent it from making any rash moves during the standoff.

Compared to the royalist faction, which was internally united, shared a common banner, and whose emperor was also quite capable, the only advantage of the aristocratic faction was its sheer numbers.

They also took advantage of this, starting fires everywhere and launching attacks on all sides, keeping the royalists busy.

For them, if they lose the war, they will lose everything. But if the battle between the royalists and the opposition ends, they will still have to face the community. One side is reserved, while the other is unscrupulous. Naturally, the shameless one has the advantage.

These people may lack combat skills, but their destructive power is no less. Just like the United States back then, if I can't have it, you can't have it either. Watch me use flamethrowers to carry out scorched earth tactics. If I lose, you won't have a good time either!

If the noble alliance were to win at this point, the Ursus Empire would be completely finished.