Prologue, a letter from home

Bang!

After a few breaths, amidst the hysterical curses of those women, there was another 'bang' from the gallows.

The imperial dog, Little Pony is wronged

The small square paved with gravel is scorched by the sun, waves of heat rising from the ground, the air twisting and dancing, and everything in sight also distorts and sways.

The woman is screaming, cursing.

Moreover, sausages, yes, I miss the homemade sausages from my home. Blood sausage, sauerkraut sausage, cheese sausage, curry sausage, mustard sausage... Great Mu above, I have already started to salivate

Please send my regards to my younger siblings. Tifa and Wema, I miss them a little bit.

Thirty gallows shook simultaneously, the ropes tightened one by one, and the faint sound of neck bones snapping echoed in the air

Aside from the somewhat inferior taste of the rations transported by the military, life in Little Rock is so pleasant, with nothing to criticize.

The women's sharp nails mercilessly clawed at the soldiers' faces, leaving several soldiers with deep bloodstains from the scratches.

The white and blue sky is devoid of a single cloud, the great and sacred Lord of Light, the source of life, is also the supreme and only God, the God of gods, Mu. His golden body hangs high in the firmament, and the blazing light joyfully scorches the earth

As an imperial soldier, it is undoubtedly shameful and inhumane to have no beer to accompany the meal

Dear Mother, I am still missing the fried pig's knuckle, smoked sheep's head, roasted lamb liver, braised beef hoof, sun-dried beef tongue, pickled beef tripe, dried shark, whale skin, stingray fins, fried fish balls, and various oil-preserved small fresh fish, small sea conchs, small shellfish, and so on that you made. You are such a marvelous culinary master; please send me a portion of your signature delicacies.

To the left of the camp's entrance, beneath a large old oak tree, Gorkin, drenched in sweat, sat on a large stone, gritting his teeth with effort. The muscles in his gaunt cheeks bulged as he gazed somewhat melancholically at the small square table in front of him

Thirty men, whose breaths were weak, struggled with all their might, continuously uttering beautiful greetings derived from the grand fusion of biological lineages, intermingled with a multitude of concepts that subvert moral principles.

Well, dear mother, please send the delicious food mentioned above as soon as possible. I truly miss the delightful meals I could enjoy at home every day before I enlisted. Great Mu, when the empire increases its military budget next time, could you allocate a bit more for the logistics of the army

I know that smoking is not a good habit, but I would be very happy if I could receive two small boxes of Habanos cigars

To the north of the small square, beneath the wooden and stone structure of the two-story long barracks, dozens of artillerymen, drenched in sweat and bare-chested, were diligently polishing a dozen well-maintained and gleaming field guns

So, dear mother, respected father, when I receive the next letter from home, could you give me a little surprise

Sighing, Gorkin continued to write his letter home

A few lines of hasty black handwriting were deeply embedded in the letter paper, the writer pressed down so hard that faint marks were left on the surface of the square table beneath the paper

... ...

The fervent, oh dear, the fervent young girls are so lovely. But what can we do under the imperial military law

Less than thirty steps from the military camp gate, directly across the street, a sudden sound of 'bang' came from behind the shutters of a three-story small building's attic. A long arrow shot out with a piercing whistle, like a venomous snake, aimed straight at Golkin's chest

Dear Mother, Honorable Father

Moreover, the gin procured by the military is simply akin to poison; every time I force myself to gulp down that dreadful liquid, I feel as though I am committing suicide. For the sake of my health, I believe that if I could have a few large barrels of premium rum, I would feel the warmth of home, the fervent love of my parents, and I would feel very happy

... ...

The new flintlock guns in their hands could knock down these defenseless women to the ground with just a gentle pull of the trigger. However, the soldiers were merely in a state of disarray, passively defending themselves, as nearly one hundred of the empire's most elite riflemen were forced to retreat step by step by dozens of women

Half a month ago, we had already left the Khiva Valley, and now I am leading the team stationed in Little Rock in the Rhine Corridor

Above the white paper, there is a printed emblem representing the imperial army, featuring the Hydra shield insignia. Below the military emblem, there is a line of fine iron-gray text—'Caliber is truth, range is justice'

The emaciated man struggled desperately, his gaze fixed on Golkin like that of a vicious wolf: "Imperial lapdog, butcher Golkin, you are doomed, utterly doomed. All the imperial dogs that enter the Rhine Corridor will die here. My brother will not let you go, my brother will not let you go!"

Look at those navies in Toulon... they are of no use to the empire, yet they waste so much military expenditure

You butchers, get out of our Little Rock

Behind these women, on the street in front of the barracks, nearly 1,000 residents of Little Rock stood in a dark mass, predominantly men. These men gazed gloomily at the gallows, watching the Gray Rat Gang swinging from the noose.

Above, Gorkin Rong Weitu in the Imperial Gran Province, at the small stone city of Rhine Corridor. On the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the year 1379 of the Medlan Glory.

"Stinking Hydra, roll back to your rotting swamp!"

Executioner, return my little Hans.

Gorkin suddenly raised his left hand, and his five fingers, resembling iron rods, fiercely clutched the speeding arrow.

I miss the homemade sausages from home, so dear mother, please send me some sausages. Because there will be many shameless people who, while passing by my office, will casually take a few, so please send more.

Inside the military camp gate, a row of six field artillery pieces was pushed out

Dozens of women, wearing headscarves and cloaked in long skirts, were screaming hoarsely as they charged at the imperial soldiers guarding the gallows. The burly and robust musketeers awkwardly raised their flintlock rifles, barely managing to fend off this group of 'fanatical' women

The Lanyin Corridor does not welcome imperial dogs, leave our land

Well, if possible, please bring me two buckets of coffee beans from the Black Continent, as I can no longer tolerate the dishwater provided by the military.

However, under the impact of women, their defenses appeared to be so precarious

The commotion quickly subsided, yet in the eyes of the residents of the small stone city, the gloom akin to a wildfire grew ever more intense

It is possible that the bait used was not good. During the time I was writing this letter, I just caught a worthless small fish, which was quite disappointing. However, it does not matter, as there are many big fish here in Little Rock

The heavy stone walls encircle the vast military camp. Outside the southern gate, a little over 200 riflemen, along with a comparable number of auxiliary soldiers, dressed in iron-gray summer linen uniforms, have cordoned off a large area of open space.

Indeed, we have reclaimed the Lanyin Corridor. This is the old territory of the Empire, and the people here are simple and honest

Gorkin let out a whistle, twirled the fountain pen on his fingertips, and suddenly, in his deep eye sockets, two pitch-black eyes became fixed.

Gorkin was rapidly writing a letter home

In the next moment, Golkin had crossed the street, leaped into the air, shattered the shutters, and burst into the attic. His speed was such that the residents of the small stone town on the street only caught a glimpse of a translucent figure flashing by.

Gorkin cast a melancholic glance at the convulsing body on the gallows, sighed, picked up a fountain pen, gritted his teeth, and swiftly scrawled several lines on the letter paper with force.

Dozens of auxiliary soldiers rushed forward with shields, assisting the beleaguered musketeers by blocking these frenzied women

Gorkin raised his head and looked at the man with a melancholic expression: "Big brother? So, you are just a small minion? A small minion has no value, help him out, let him fly a kite"

... ...

Thus spoke the ancient sage Brad Reed

As the emaciated figure that flew out from the attic was still struggling, Golkin had already returned to sit on the large stone, as if he had not moved at all just moments ago, gripping the water-dipped pen tightly, gazing melancholically at the letter paper before him

After a muffled sound, a gaunt figure spat blood as it flew out from the shattered blinds, landing heavily on the street. A small squad of soldiers rushed over and quickly bound him tightly with ropes

Little Rock is a good place, but in the years since leaving the Empire, they have been influenced by the Highlanders, abandoning the culinary traditions of the Empire. They now only know one dreadful dish, which is boiled meat in plain water

My brothers under my command have been nearly parched these days. I believe that brewing some beer for them to alleviate their homesickness is a duty and virtue that a commanding officer should possess

After pondering for a moment, Golkin looked at the street directly in front of the gallows and seriously added a line to the letter.

In summary, this is a beautiful city. Life here is even a bit too comfortable. I even have free time to go fishing, hunting, and to relax my mind

In the name of the Empire, in accordance with the wartime military law of the Empire, all members of the audacious and reckless gray rat bandits who engage in theft, arson of military supplies, poisoning of wells to murder Imperial soldiers, spreading rumors, and inciting riots shall be sentenced to hanging

Always maintain a skeptical mind, for what is recorded in words may not necessarily be true

On the square table, there is a sheet of white paper, which is the military stationery uniformly ordered by the Imperial Military Department. It is of excellent quality, pure white, crisp, and has a very good texture

Of course, the girls in Little Rock are even more fiery and passionate. Especially towards the imperial soldiers, their attitude is fervent

The emaciated man, who had been beaten to the point of spitting blood, was violently shoved by a group of soldiers to the entrance of the military camp

Especially send my regards to Qiao, he should have graduated by now? Please tell him that the next time you see the Wells family's pup, along with my share, break their dog's legs.

A gendarme, impeccably dressed despite the scorching sun, stood on the wooden platform beside the gallows, his coat soaked with sweat, as he hoarsely recited from a sturdy and durable piece of parchment.

Outside the military camp's main gate, in the open space surrounded by soldiers, thirty ominous gallows stood in a neat row. Dozens of burly soldiers were forcefully pushing thirty ragged, bloodied men onto the gallows.

Above all, I wish my mother and father good health and peace

Dear Father, if possible, please send me some of the old yeast from home, as well as some top-quality hops and malt. The weather is hot, and beer does not transport well. The military has removed the beer item from the logistics supply list. Moreover, Little Rock has surprisingly abandoned the imperial beer tradition; there is not a single drop of beer to be found in the entire city! Not a single drop of beer! How terrifying this is!

The residents of Little Stone City on the street began to stir, and several young people mingling in the crowd instinctively reached into their pockets or sleeves.