Chapter 737: Chapter 50 The Path Ahead_4 Chapter 737: Chapter 50 The Path Ahead_4 He laughed and asked, “If I knew my own death was coming, would I still be here chatting with you? I would have already gone to marry Miss Navarre and had children.”
Colonel Bod laughed heartily towards the heavens.
These two men, who had faced death directly, could understand best: when death approaches, many things that seem unimportant now will become important; and many things that seem very important now will become unimportant.
Winters sincerely expressed his confusion to Colonel Bod:
“The situation now is that I saved Iron Peak County from the legion’s hands, yet I found that Iron Peak County can do very well without me.”
“I’ve reflected seriously—maybe from the very beginning, I should not have thought about resuming production. I should have just eaten the food from the warehouses, quietly awaiting famine.”
“When everyone starts to feel hunger, we could distribute weapons to every starving person, lead them to attack Mont Blanc County and Vernge County, devour and drink everything like locusts. Then involve more refugees to attack other places, eventually blazing to success or failing spectacularly.”
“That would indeed be exhilarating,” Winters said with a wry smile, “much more satisfying than hanging in limbo in Iron Peak County.”
“Why not do it?” Colonel Bod seriously rebutted, “Aren’t you trying to be a savior? Ignite a great fire that consumes the world, and you become the savior of the refugees.”
“Because I don’t want to,” Winters replied disdainfully, “I don’t want to be a savior, and I am not one. I’m an executioner—I never deny this.”
“Then what do you want?”
“I don’t know! But I can’t say this to anyone; it’s like being the one holding a torch at the front of thousands, and if I say ‘I don’t know where to go anymore’ and then stomp out the torch, what would they do?”
“You can’t tell others, but you can tell me?”
“Yes, only you,” Winters spread his hands, “after all, you are an observer.”
Colonel Bod snorted lightly.
“But I’m not worried,” Winters said with an unconcerned laugh, “Didn’t the old marshal also join the Rebels reluctantly? Did he know where to go back then? Did he know where he would end up? Wasn’t it just a step at a time?”
“What are you saying?” Colonel Bod instantly became agitated upon hearing this. He leaped up from the rock, pointing at Winters, almost beside himself with anger, “Iron Peak County isn’t enough, Newly Reclaimed Land isn’t enough, Paratu isn’t enough? You still want to be a marshal?! Why don’t you become emperor instead?”
Colonel Bod trembled with anger.
“Don’t get worked up; I was just giving an example,” Winters pulled the colonel back to sit down, patient and pacifying, “Perhaps by next year, when the Red and Blue Rose have determined the winner, and the victor’s army presses on our borders, I’ll flee back to Vineta to do small business, right? Who can tell for sure about the future?”
Colonel Bod huffily shrugged off Winters’ arm.
“In any case, I want to stop and think,” Winters told the colonel earnestly, “I won’t expand any further until I’m clear about what I can bring to the people, and until I’ve thoroughly won the loyalty of Iron Peak County. If even Iron Peak County won’t completely align with me, what grounds do I have to attack other counties? I want to see clearly where to go before continuing forward.”
Colonel Bod sneered, “At least you’re not blinded by ambition.”
“I also want to ask you, what do you swear allegiance to, care about, are concerned about? The government? The military? The Republican system? Or the people?” Winters countered.
Colonel Bod had no answer.
“I would like to ask you to stay and help me,” Winters bowed deeply to Colonel Bod in earnest request.
“Help you?” Colonel Bod grunted, “A distinguished colonel of the Republic to join you as a Rebel?”
“If you won’t help, then forget it,” Winters straightened up and sat back on the rock.
Neither the elder nor the younger looked at each other, just sitting in silence.
They sat for a long, long time, with the river flowing quietly in front of them.
“I’m going back to Kingsfort,” Colonel Bod suddenly spoke.
“I’ll prepare a horse for you,” Winters nodded briskly, neither surprised nor disappointed, “I’ll arrange for someone to escort you—rest assured, it’s a genuine escort, not to kill you.”
Bod gave Winters a slap out of anger, “You young man, how cruel you’ve become!”
“How can you call me cruel if I’m not killing you?” Winters looked utterly aggrieved.
“Having the thought alone is cruel enough!”
“Alright then, fine. When would you like to leave?”
“Trying to send me away because the recruitment failed?” Colonel Bod laughed angrily and gave Winters another slap on the back.
“It’s all up to you; I was hoping you would stay a few more days,” Winters also felt a bit reluctant, “Whenever you decide to leave, I’ll arrange the transportation and escort.”
“In the next few days then.”
“I’m going back to Kingsfort.”
“I’m not like you foreign bachelors; my wife and daughter are still in Kingsfort,” Colonel Bod sighed deeply, “I need to bring them over.”