Chapter 64: Blazing Furnace (Part 1)
[Vineta]
[Sea Blue]
The blazing sun hung high in the sky, indifferently scorching everything on the earth.
Heat waves rolled, and the city was shrouded in steaming vapor, even the monsoon arriving as scheduled could not drive it away.
In the past, Sea Blue Port was bustling with crowded boats and throngs of people, now it was cold and deserted, a desolate scene.
The wharf was filled with three-masted ships, but not a single worker was seen on the piers.
Only a few seagulls spiraled above the anchor ground, unwilling to leave for a long time, vainly searching for any remnants of food to stave off hunger.
News of the United Provinces Army crossing the Torrent River spread like wildfire through the streets and alleys of Sea Blue.
Long ago many Sea Blue People predicted this day would inevitably come;
Long ago many Sea Blue People hoped this day would come soon.
But when the "allied state" indeed crossed the nonexistent border, Sea Blue fell into a peculiar silence.
The dark clouds on the horizon were already clearly visible, every Sea Blue Person understood where the road underfoot would lead, but people could never know if they were ready — until there was no turning back.
In whispered conversations, Sea Blue People waited for the response of the supervisory government.
...
A sedan carriage moved out of Haidong Port, slowly traveling along the coastal avenue.
A small team of cavalry from the eastern camp had been waiting halfway, the leading officer politely confirmed the identity of the passenger in the carriage, then escorted the carriage continuing toward Sea Blue City.
The carriage's style was ordinary: black paint, without emblem, and no markings.
The horses pulling the carriage were also ordinary nags, quite unremarkable. Instead, the cavalry escorting the carriage were mounted on Paratu breeds, all glossily sleek and strong-legged, outstanding in quality.
In the past, a carriage deliberately hiding its identity would have attracted the attention of passersby in Sea Blue streets.
But the situation is now different—even though the flames of war have not spread to Vineta, Sea Blue's trends have inevitably been influenced.
Because the war no longer returns from distant borders as mere fragments of words, it truly impacts every Venetian's life.
The Inner Sea, once filled with countless sailing ships, now has but few vessels.
The United Province Navy and Vineta Navy, under the pretext of searching for smuggled goods, wantonly detained ships flying the "ally" flag. As a result, the current Inner Sea is even more dangerous than during the most rampant era of Tanilia Pirates. Without naval escorts, no merchant ship dares to leave port easily.
The looms and spinning wheels that previously brought unimpeachable wealth to Vineta are now gathering dust.
Tens of thousands of weavers suddenly fell into destitution without clothing and food, apart from the few lucky enough to leave the city and seek relatives, the vast majority had nowhere to go and no way to proceed.
Some flooded the port, competing with foreign squatters on the piers for the few remaining pieces of bread; some hovered in squares and alleyways, selling their bodies, begging along the streets; others chose to go to Tanilia, praying to find a glimmer of hope in foreign lands.
In Sea Blue alone, the past month saw more murders than Vineta ever encountered in a whole quarter of heinous cases.
Every morning, broken corpses were transported out of the city and hastily buried in the west side's pauper's grave.
Merchants tightened their purses, no longer easily buying; farmers kept their grain tightly, not daring to casually sell. This back and forth pushed the price of flour to new heights, further aggravating the growth of slums.
Under such circumstances, the aesthetics of Sea Blue's wealthy unconsciously shifted toward restraint and low-key.
Pink silk was tucked into the bottom of boxes, dark velvet became the new fashion;
Simple and safe sedan carriages now are more favored, the once showy convertibles are rarely seen.
So when cavalry escorted the carriage rumbling through Sea Blue's streets and lanes, it was the cavalry escorting the carriage that drew the most attention, rather than the carriage itself.
...
The carriage departing from Haidong Port finally stopped outside the side gate of Vineta Army Headquarters.
The driver jumped down from the seat, arranged the footstool, and opened the carriage door. His humble posture was beyond reproach.
A man, seemingly just in his thirties, was the first to step down from the carriage.
The man in his thirties was well-proportioned, handsome in appearance, his beard neatly groomed, and his clothes and boots spotless.
He clicked his tongue, staring at the distant lavish Army Headquarters, with a faint hint of a smile on his lips: "Sure enough, the less one has something, the more one wants to flaunt it."
"One must not be too critical of a nouveau riche's aesthetic ability." A cold voice echoed from inside the carriage, as another middle-aged man with one eye and a missing finger stepped down from the carriage: "Captain Pisani."
"Very correct," the man in his thirties gracefully nodded, "I was abrupt, Captain Tieyi."
Upon hearing this, Kara the Colonel, who had arrived early to wait at the side gate, was ablaze with anger, almost squeezing water from the sword handle in his hand.
Yet from the beginning to the end, neither of the two who got off the carriage had seriously looked at Colonel Kara.
"Enough."
The last passenger—an elder with white sideburns and eyebrows—stepped down from the carriage.
The elder was tall and robust, his chest and back almost as thick as his shoulders were wide.
Although his sunburned skin indicated he had been away from the sea's gales and waves for a long time, his gaze remained as sharp as a lookout's. His legs still firmly supported his body, just as when he stood on the deck.
Colonel Kara, adopting the "courtesy knock," did not glance at the two who got off first, but walked directly toward the elder.
The colonel did not salute, but merely nodded: "General Dandolo, welcome. Please follow me."
The elder lowered his eyelids slightly.
Colonel Kara turned and waved, the side door of the "Imperial Palace" promptly opened to both sides. Although there was no military band or honor guard, the guards snapped their boot heels together, raising halberds to salute in unison.
Captain Pisani watched the army's "little performance" with interest, smiling at his companion.
But Stoic Tye kept a straight face, showing no expression at all.
General Dandolo nodded, and under Colonel Kara's guidance, the three walked into the Army Headquarters.
...
[Army Headquarters Second Floor]
[Equerry Office]
The office's occupant—Colonel Bozuhof, holding a cup, leaned against the windowsill, coldly looking outside.
The door was pushed open, and a Captain pulled in a newly-uniformed Warrant Officer.
Before the two fully entered the office, the Captain jubilantly introduced: "Colonel, this is the trainee officer assigned to us this year, Paulino, Warrant Officer Paulino Como."
He put an arm around the warrant officer's shoulder, enthusiastically introducing to the junior: "This is Colonel Bozuhof — if nothing goes wrong, you'll be with us for a year."
Warrant Officer Como, with the unique naivety of an officer's cadet just out of the Ivory Tower, immediately put down his carried gear and gave a strong salute: "Colonel."
Colonel Bozuhof waved his hand helplessly, returning a sloppy salute: "Close the door."
The door was closed again, blocking the view and ears of the staff, leaving only the officers inside the office.
"This year... 560 years..." Colonel Bozuhof looked at the ceiling, mumbling to himself while calculating: "Then you're the..."
"The 24th term," Warrant Officer Como answered first, somewhat embarrassedly adding: "But with the preparatory course included, I only studied for four years in Guidao City, and the second and third years were at the new Military Academy in Sea Blue."
Colonel Bozuhof sighed: "Even a year counts."
He took out a new cup, poured a small amount of a dark liquid from an exquisite silver pot on the windowsill, and gestured for the warrant officer to come closer.
Colonel Bozuhof said with some sadness: "You are the last generation. The last generation of Vineta officers graduated from the traditional Military Academy. After you, no Venetians will come out from the school established by the Old Marshal."
Warrant Officer Como held the cup, unsure of how to respond.
The Captain who brought Warrant Officer Como in tried to lighten the mood. He took the silver cup from his junior's hand, looked at the colonel with a reproachful look, asking: "It's still morning, and you're already drinking?"
"This isn't alcohol." Colonel Bozuhof, close in relationship with the Captain, did not feel offended, casually explained: "It's something new from the Far East, called [coffee]."
The Captain tried a sip skeptically, immediately spat it back into the cup: "Holy hell!"
Colonel Bozuhof, uninterested in explaining the invigorating effect of coffee to the deputy, was already filled with rage: "Allowing the Provincial Guys to take over the Old Marshal's legacy! Permitting the Da Weineta Army Group to become the 'Navy's Army'! Signing the humiliating budget bill! Those aside—how could they allow the Navy to openly walk through our gates? What's that old geezer Zio thinking?!"
The warrant officer did not dare speak.
The Captain, however, wasn't afraid. He asked curiously: "Navy? Where?"
"Isn't it right there?" Colonel Bozuhof casually pointed downward.
The Captain immediately moved to the window, and Warrant Officer Como followed.
They happened to see Colonel Kara leading three men in civilian clothes up the steps, disappearing from their view.
The Captain pulled back from the window, asking the colonel for confirmation: "Colonel Kara's bringing those three guys?"
"Just look at those three bald heads." Colonel Bozuhof sneered: "I can't be wrong about their origins."
"Why would the General involve the Navy with the Imperial Palace?" the Captain half-doubted: "Borrowing ships? Determined to deploy troops? How come there's no news?"
Colonel Bozuhof ignored the deputy, heavily placed down his cup, standing in front of the new warrant officer, staring into the latter's eyes, sternly asking: "Warrant Officer, answer me. We—the Army established by Marshal Ned Smith himself, the most honorable Vineta Republic Army, who is our primary enemy?"
The warrant officer instinctively replied: "The Empire!"
Colonel Bozuhof emitted a snort from his nostrils.
"Then..." The warrant officer's shoulders slumped, humbly and cautiously asked: "Is it the Unified Provinces?"
Colonel Bozuhof frowned, looking discontentedly at the deputy: "Are you ostracizing the junior who didn't graduate from the Land Academy?"
"How could that be?!" The Captain cried injustice.
Colonel Bozuhof folded his arms: "Then why aren't you teaching the necessary things clearly?!"
Hearing this, the Captain lightly kicked the warrant officer, coughing to remind him.
"Oh! That! I remembered!" The warrant officer, as if enlightened, blurted out: "The Navy! Our primary enemy is the Navy!"
"Correct!" Colonel Bozuhof grabbed the warrant officer by the shoulders, warning him through gritted teeth: "The Navy! Remember! It's the Navy!"