chsdbacks #580 - We are free!
#580 - We are free!
“Those dung collectors actually pulled it off.”
“Don't call them dung collectors, remember to call them Savior Army masters.”
“Savior Army masters, my foot. I reckon this battle was eighty percent the Savior Army stalling the Edict Legion, but in reality, they were defeated by the great Grand Duke Moria.”
“The Savior Army skirmished without engaging, the Duke's army was the main force resisting the Prince!”
“Let's stick to the facts, the Savior Army was the first to defeat the Edict Legion, that's undeniable, right?”
By the roadside, citizens holding flowers and triangular flags waited while discussing the battle.
Compared to the Savior Army, which arbitrarily divided fields and land, the city nobles, big merchants, and small citizens preferred Grand Duke Moria.
But for the artisans and lower-level laborers, although there were many rumors about the Savior Army, their abolition of the 'Labor Law' made them unconsciously stand on Hoen's side.
But no matter who the main force of this war was, everyone realized that the Thousand River Valley had changed.
“They're here, they're here, get ready.”
As they were talking, someone pointed to the end of the road and shouted, and the citizens and servants who were originally sitting on the ground jumped up.
This time, the city nobles and citizen representatives had learned their lesson. They ran twenty miles in one breath, chasing to the original Edict Legion camp gate to welcome them.
In addition, farmers and town residents who received the news gathered around, wanting to see what the well-known Thousand River Valley Twin Heroes were really like.
The Holy Sun's Righteous Army was already waiting nearby, and coupled with the population originally in the Edict Legion camp, nearly ten thousand people gathered in this area.
At the end of the road, the ground vibrated, and the Guards, as the vanguard, marched in neat steps at the front.
The silver-bright spear tips were stained with dark red blood, and every ten people held a black and red flag, like a flowing river of flags surging towards the citizens and farmers.
Those who had been proclaiming that the Savior Army skirmished without engaging all closed their mouths, squeezed out flattering smiles, and vigorously scattered petals.
Behind the vanguard of the Savior Army, horse-drawn carriages carried the salted and neatly arranged heads of the Edict Knights.
As for Prince Condé, he was alone in a carriage, contained in a terrifying green bottle, which made people exclaim about demons, witches, and heretics.
Standing on one side with the Savior Army were the lazy mountain knights. Although they were not as orderly as the Savior Army, their fierce aura still made the citizens and city nobles tremble.
The mighty procession of carriages carrying prisoners of war and heads drove into the camp, but Hoen and Moria did not dismount, nor did they even look at them.
They only sent someone to tell them not to panic, to maintain the security of Flystream Fortress, and that they would visit later.
Just as the Savior Army and the mountain knights entered the camp with all their troops, the gathered crowd was preparing to disperse, but several military police rode over on horses.
“Everyone, don't leave yet.” They galloped past these onlookers, peasants, and citizens, holding iron-sheet loudspeakers and shouting at them, “His Majesty has some words to say later, unless there is an emergency, please stay.”
…………
On the makeshift earthen platform, something like a small mountain was covered with tarpaulin, mysteriously, not knowing what it contained.
The Savior Army maintained order, arranging for citizens and villagers to enter the simple venue. After they were settled, there were at least ten thousand people surrounded by the Savior Army.
They included nobles wearing black and blue dyed loose robes, merchants and citizens wearing tasseled hats, blacksmiths rolling up their sleeves to reveal hairy arms, and tailors covering their five fingers with felt cloths, secretly stroking the Savior Army's clothes.
They lowered their heads, huddled together, and discussed in low voices.
Occasionally, they would look up, looking at Hoen and Jeanne standing on the edge of the earthen platform, as well as those Savior Army infantrymen.
Their eyes contained fear, contempt, and ridicule, but mostly indifferent numbness and impatience after waiting.
What if it was replaced by the Savior Army? Mr. Cush was replaced by Mr. Fran, but there didn't seem to be any changes, right?
Standing behind the earthen platform, Hoen was still asking about Moria's whereabouts.
He had originally asked Moria if she wanted to go up and give a speech, to express her victory to her future subjects.
Unfortunately, Moria was good at arguing but not good at public speaking, and she had little interest in it, considering speeches useless.
Without making the villagers wait too long, Hoen walked onto the earthen platform.
“Before, a villager named Mountain Cat Tucker asked me when I would fulfill my promise and let them go home.” With the help of the amplifying monk, Hoen's voice was clearly transmitted, “I don't want to say much, because facts speak louder than words. I tell you, that time is now.”
The tarpaulin covering the small mountain behind him was lifted, revealing clumps of pale, light things. The slave laborers and artisans in the camp raised their heads one after another.
Many people's eyes slowly widened. If they were not mistaken, those should be the church's IOUs, indentures, and usury contracts.
Three or five monks were pouring firewood and tar on these sinful papers. What were they going to do, burn these terrible shackles?
With a scream, the rising flames climbed onto those papers. Contracts and IOUs were gradually swallowed by the flames, and the mouths of the slave laborers and slaves slowly opened wide.
The debt slips and contracts that countless people feared day and night were so fragile, just slowly disappearing in the flames.
The cold wind swayed the firelight, the fire burned brighter and brighter, but the warmth could radiate to everyone.
Standing in front of the flames, Hoen's hair swayed with the hot and cold winds, and his words spread to everyone's ears with the miracle of amplification.
“Five hundred years ago, the people of Thousand River Valley migrated from the Cush River to this place because of war. With the hard work of countless people of Thousand River Valley, we turned this place into a paradise orchard in the chaotic and dark world.
Five hundred years later, the people of Thousand River Valley gathered here again, only to find that our beloved family members had become the priests' pigs and dogs, and our beloved homeland had become a scorched earth purgatory in the hands of the church and the empire.
And we have become wanderers in our own homes.
A year and a half ago, I was summoned to heaven by the Holy Lord and asked if I wanted to continue to stay in the human world or return to the blissful mountain paradise.
I couldn't make a decision, so the Holy Lord took me to a place where everyone lived and worked in peace and contentment, lived in warm houses, and everyone had a face that had not been bullied by nobles and priests, and even the air was so sweet.
I asked the Holy Lord Ama, is this the heavenly paradise?
Ama said, no, this is Thousand River Valley a hundred years from now.”
What will Thousand River Valley be like in a hundred years?
The originally numb people raised their heads one after another, looking at the young man shrouded in smoke and flames.
“In the Thousand River Valley of that time, I saw that by the gurgling Nauan River, the sons of the former nobles and the sons of the former serfs sang hand in hand.”
Jeanne's eyes flashed with the faces of Danji and Frik, tightly pursing her lips.
“In the Thousand River Valley of that time, I saw that in the solemn and simple cathedral, judges no longer judged based on wealth and status, but measured with legal justice.”
Tears gradually welled up in Madlan's eyes.
“In the Thousand River Valley of that time, I saw our children living in a country that was not evaluated by their bloodline, but by the merits of their character and talent.”
Grampwen held his son in his arms and turned to smile at Dia beside him.
“There will be such a day, there will be such a day, our children will be able to live to adulthood, be able to support themselves, be able to receive fair treatment, and be able to exchange labor for enough food and money for their families.”
“There will be such a day, there will be such a day, we will untie the ropes around our necks, cut off the shackles and chains on our feet, we will be able to live in warm houses, and my next generation will not become the priests' amusement drinks and toys.”
The original low conversations disappeared, and everyone stood there blankly, their dusty eyes gradually lit up.
Will Thousand River Valley be like this in a hundred years?
“I asked the Holy Lord, is that day far away?”
“The Holy Lord said that as long as we have hope in our hearts, that day will only get closer and closer, so I chose to return to the human world.”
“I returned to the human world with this hope, walked to the battlefield with hope, and launched a charge towards those terrifying and ferocious knights with hope.”
The fire behind him shook, and IOUs, indentures, and usury contracts turned into black ashes in the raging fire, fluttering onto everyone's heads.
Covering the sky and the sun, like crows flying over a sea of flowers.
Everyone looked up, those wearing straw hats, those wearing cloth shoes, those in rags, those well-dressed, all looked at the ashes.
The ashes flew and flew, melting into the blue sky, and tears flowed unconsciously as they watched.
Standing on the high platform, with the increasingly raging fire behind him, Hoen walked step by step to the forefront. With each step, he shouted: “I have always had hope, because I have seen that day, I know that day will eventually come!
I believe that one day we will be able to knock a gap in this majestic mountain called despair!
I believe that one day countless citizens of Thousand River Valley will be able to obtain fairness and freedom!
I believe that one day the people of Thousand River Valley will be able to proudly say: I am a person of Thousand River Valley!
We and my fellow believers pray together, work together, advance together, pursue together, and walk onto the battlefield together, because one day, Thousand River Valley will shatter her shackles! And the people of Thousand River Valley will be able to live peacefully in their homeland again!”
Taking a deep breath, Hoen paused, and the whole place was quiet except for the sound of the wind. The air behind him twisted as if dancing with his voice.
Countless tearful eyes stared straight at Hoen standing on the high platform.
Hoen didn't dare to blink, he was afraid that once he blinked, the blur in front of him would turn into tears and flow down, but his throat was already choked up.
“That day, that day, how many times have I fantasized about that day, and it has finally come!”
“I fantasized about it, is it five years later, or ten years later, or tomorrow?”
“But I was wrong, that day is today.”
“Today is not the day of ending, today is the day of beginning.”
“The shackles are untied from today, the cage is shattered from today!”
“My friends, my compatriots of Thousand River Valley with the same blood flowing, I want to announce to you, from today, from this moment, you, you…”
Halfway through his words, Hoen's words suddenly stopped in surprise.
It turned out that due to blurred vision, Hoen took a step forward, but did not see the steps under his feet, and stepped into the air and fell down.
A wry smile flashed across Hoen's falling face. He had jumped so many times as a shaman and hadn't had an accident. Now that he was seriously starting such an important speech, he was actually going to make a fool of himself.
But he waited for a long time, but he didn't wait for the pain of the hard ground hitting his chest. Instead, a sponge-like soft but rough thing held up his chest, waist, and shoulders.
When Hoen opened his eyes and looked up, he saw countless raised faces in front of him. Everyone stretched out their hands to try to catch him.
At this moment, he was being held up by a sea of hands, there were the hands of farmers full of calluses, the hands of tailors holding woolen cloths, the hands of skinny old men, and the hands of chubby round children.
Everyone was looking at him, waiting for him to say that sentence.
Just being held up like this, Hoen did not choose to stand up again, but勉力 straightened his upper body.
He wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeves, and the corners of his mouth gradually opened and curved. He stretched out his right hand as if to shake hands with everyone.
“There are no more priests and Edict Legion! There are no more blue bloods and lancers!”
“Thousand River Valley is free!”
“We——”
“Are free!!!”
(End of Volume 2)