Chapter 770: Chapter 61 Confrontation Chapter 770: Chapter 61 Confrontation The eve of the storm wasn’t always peaceful.
The arrival of the blue tasseled battle flags was like the beating of war drums, stirring the people of Terdun into action.
Throughout the night, the sentries on the riverbank could hear the clamor of voices, the striking of hammers, and the turning of wheels on the opposite bank.
At the same time, Terdun’s light cavalry scattered in all directions, sweeping the riverbank inch by inch.
The scouts Winters had stationed on the opposite bank were either forced to retreat or, unfortunately, perished.
A supple, invisible, yet impenetrable net stretched across the west bank of the Big Horn River, cutting off any outside view.
Evidently, the Terdun people were hurriedly assembling river-crossing equipment, possibly hide rafts, perhaps a floating bridge or even warships.
No one knew what exactly the Terdun Tribe was constructing, but one thing was clear—the fire keepers intended to cross the river, and they didn’t care if the people on the other side were aware of it.
The Iron Peak County Military and citizens were also preparing for battle day and night.
Reeds, shrubs, and woodlands near the water were all cut down and burned; watchtowers and bunkers rapidly rose from the ground, tightly controlling every inch of the river to deny the enemy any chance to cross unseen.
The situation resembled that of two fierce beasts confronting each other, without growling or bristling, because both knew full well the other could not be intimidated.
So the two beasts adopted a truly deadly stance: bodies hunched, muscles tensed, glaring at the enemy, silently building strength.
Without a sound, the atmosphere became heavy. Even hardened soldiers couldn’t help but grow tense, not to mention the ordinary citizens.
If anyone could still eat heartily or sleep soundly, it seemed to be only Winters Montagne.
At least, among the haggard and weary representatives of Niutigu Valley, Winters was the only one to wear a smile.
“Gentlemen,” Winters got straight to the point, “you are all respectable gentlemen of this town, the true heads of Niutigu Valley. In light of the formidable enemy, I have gathered you here for one thing only.”
Upon hearing this, some representatives turned pale, some had lifeless eyes, and others looked numb.
What else could it be but more taxes, more conscription?
The silence in the town hall was so deep you could hear a pulse beating; everyone was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Winters paused briefly, looking around at everyone, and clearly enunciated one word: “Latrines.”
Half the people in the hall thought they had misheard.
The other half uncomfortably shifted in their seats, believing the civil protector was going to impose a new type of tax—the latrine tax.
“From dawn today, Niutigu Valley is officially under martial law,” Winters explained amicably to the representatives, “Martial law requires military discipline. Military discipline strictly prohibits defecating and dumping excrement anywhere.”
He admonished them, “I’ve seen people place two planks across a windowsill and squat directly over it to relieve themselves. Such behavior is henceforth strictly forbidden. Violators will be fined, whipped, or put to hard labor. I hope each of you will set a good example and convey this seriously. Do you understand?”
The temporary meeting was over as quickly as it had started.
The civic representatives stumbled out of the town hall, standing on the street corner, looking at each other speechlessly.
Even if Montaigne’s civil protector had ordered taxes to be collected thirty years in the future, they wouldn’t have been as shocked.
But no matter what, the gentlefolk couldn’t fathom that the civil protector had solemnly convened them just to discuss “digging latrines.”
“This, this, this…” A tall, thin representative’s face turned a beet red as he whispered in complaint, “What is this nonsense? The barbarians are just across the river, and instead of thinking about fighting, he’s teaching us to dig latrines? What kind of general does that? Can you even fight a war like that? I tell you, Niutigu Valley will be destroyed sooner or later! We should think of a way to move to Revodan.”
Another short, fat representative disagreed, “What do you know? Fearless in the face of danger, composed in command—that’s the mark of a great general. I think Blood Wolf truly has the skill, a reputation well-earned.”
“I don’t understand, and you do?” the tall, thin representative retorted incredulously.
“I really do,” the short, fat representative said proudly, “Back in the day, I was a personal attendant to General Yanosh. If it weren’t for an arrow wound to my arm, who knows, I might have also…”
“What rubbish about being a personal attendant! Taking the chance to boast,” the tall, thin representative mercilessly burst his bubble. He scoffed, “A servant, that’s all! If you were a personal attendant to General Yanosh, would you still be here?”
“Never mind that, I just know more than you,” the short, fat representative, face flushing and paling in turn, confronted the taller man, “I’ll tell you this! When General Yanosh was at war, he would check every day, above all else, that the laborers had enough to eat. By your logic, you think General Yanosh didn’t know how to fight either?”
The tall and short representatives were long at odds; any chance would lead to an argument, occasionally escalating to a real fight.
An older and more experienced representative intervened and tried to smooth things over, “Both are right, you both make valid points. And His Excellency the civil protector is also correct; Niutigu Valley originally had fewer than three hundred people, and now? Thousands! If an epidemic broke out, none of us would be able to avoid it. His Excellency wants us to dig latrines, so let’s dig. And latrines can still be used for saltpeter, isn’t that good too?”
“He also wants to separate men and women!” the tall man exclaimed angrily, “My family was living well together; why should we live apart? And give our house to someone else to live in? Why should we?”
“Keep it down! Do you have a death wish?” the older representative quickly interrupted, “If someone overhears you talking to me , I’ll get dragged into it. You may not care about your life, but we do!”
The short, fat representative said resentfully, “Don’t stop him, and don’t reason with him. Let him clash with Blood Wolf and see if Blood Wolf doesn’t sort him out!”