[Veneta]

[Sea Blue]

The scorching sun hangs high in the sky, burning everything on the earth indifferently.

The heat waves surging, and the city is shrouded in evaporating water vapor, and even the monsoon that comes as promised cannot dispel it.

The sea blue port, which used to be filled with boats and tides, is now clear and cold, and is a desolate scene.

The three-masted ship was parked with berths, but there were no porters on the trestle.

Only a few seagulls were left hovering above the anchorage, refusing to leave for a long time, searching for any remaining filth that could fill their stomachs.

The news that the United Provincial Army crossed the river spread like wildfires throughout the sea blue streets and alleys.

Starting a long time ago, many sea blue people predicted that this day would come; starting a long time ago, many sea blue people expected this day to come as soon as possible.

But when the "allies" really stepped across the non-existent boundary, Hailan fell into abnormal silence.

The dark clouds in the sky are clearly visible, and every sea blue man knows where the road under his feet will lead, but people will never know whether they are ready--until they can never look back.

In the whispers, the sea blue people waited for a response from the government.

...

A sedan carriage drove out of Haidong Port and walked slowly along the coastal Avenue.

A small team of cavalry from Dongdaying had been waiting halfway. The officer politely confirmed the identity of the passengers in the car, and then escorted the carriage to continue to sail towards Hailan City.

The style of the carriage is ordinary: black paint, without an emblem, and without any logo.

The pulling horses that pull the cart are also ordinary slow horses, which are inconspicuous. On the contrary, the cavalry escorted the carts, all of which are smooth and smooth, with strong tendons and thin legs. They are all good horses with good cereals in Paratu.

In the past, this kind of carriage that deliberately hides its identity will definitely attract the attention of pedestrians when it appears on the sea blue streets.

But now the situation is different - even if the fire of war has not spread to Venetta, the trend of the sea blue is inevitably affected.

Because war is no longer a single word that is passed back from the distant frontiers, it truly affects the lives of every Venetta.

In the past, thousands of sails competed for the inland sea, there were only a few boats.

The Union Navy and the Venetta Navy arbitrarily seized ships flying the "Alliance" flags in the name of searching for smuggled goods. This made the inland sea more dangerous than the era when Tanirian pirates were most rampant. Without naval escort, no merchant ship dared to leave the port easily.

The looms and spinning wheels that used to bring supreme wealth to Venetta are now covered in dust.

Millions of weavers have become poor people who have no food and clothing. Except for a few lucky people who can leave the city and seek relatives and friends, most of them have nowhere to go and no way to go.

Desperate weavers may flock to the port to compete with the Gentiles entrenched on the pier for the bread that was already left; or wandered in the squares and dark alleys, and were forced to sell their bodies to beg along the streets to support their children; some people received settlement fees from recruiters and resolutely went to Taniria, praying to find a glimmer of life in the strange land.

Anger and violence are growing in people's hearts. In the city of Hailan alone, there have been more homicides in the past month than in Vinetta's once a quarter.

Every morning, broken bodies are transported out of the city and buried in mass graves in the west of the city.

The merchants held their purse tightly and stopped buying them easily; the farmers kept their food and dared not sell them casually. After a while, they pushed the flour price to a new high, making people's lives even more difficult.

In this case, the aesthetics of the rich man in the sea also turned conservative and low-key.

Pink satin was pressed into the bottom of the box, and dark black velvet became a new trend; simple and safe sedan-style carriages are now more popular, and those colorful convertible cars in the past are no longer found.

So when the cavalry escorted the carriage and drove through the sea blue streets, the one that attracted the most attention was the cavalry escorted the carriage, not the carriage itself.

...

The carriage departed from Haidong Port finally stopped outside the side gate of the Venetta Army Headquarters.

The coachman jumped off his seat, set up his footstool, and opened the car door. His humble attitude was beyond replenishment, which made Colonel Kara, who came to greet the guests, feel disgusted.

A man in his early thirties first walked off the carriage.

The men of the thirty generations have a well-proportioned figure, handsome appearance, clean beards, and their clothes and boots are spotless.

He looked at the magnificent army headquarters in the distance, with a faint smile on his lips: "Sure enough, the more you lack something, the more you want to show off."

"You can't be too demanding on the aesthetic ability of the nouveau riche." A cold voice came out of the carriage, and another middle-aged man with one-eyed fingerless finger walked off the carriage: "Captain Pisani."

"You are right." The thirty generation men nodded gracefully: "It's me who was abrupt, Captain Thier."

Hearing this, Colonel Kara, who came to the side gate in advance, was furious, and the hilt of the sword in his hand was almost clenched out of water.

However, from the beginning to the end, neither of the two people who got off the carriage had ever looked at Colonel Kara seriously.

"Enough."

The last passenger, the old man with gray hair and eyebrows, walked off the carriage.

The old man is tall and solid, and the thickness of his chest and back is almost as wide as the width of his shoulders.

Although not seeing the sunburned skin means he has been away from the storm on the sea for a long time, his eyes are still as sharp as the lookout. His legs are also steadily supporting his body as when he was standing on the deck in the past.

Colonel Kara "recited the two people who got off the bus first" and walked straight towards the old man without looking at them.

The colonel did not salute, but nodded only: "General Dandoro, welcome. Please follow me."

The old man drooped his eyelids slightly.

Colonel Kara turned around and waved, and the side door of the "Palace" opened to both sides. Although there was no military music or ceremonial guards, the guards gathered their boots together and raised their halberds to salute in an orderly manner.

[Captain Pisani] After watching the Army's "small performance" with great interest, he looked at his fellow travelers with a smile.

And [Thier] had a stern face and still had no expression.

General Dandoro nodded, and under the leadership of Colonel Kara, a group of three walked into the Army headquarters.

...

[Second Floor, Army Headquarters]

[Ma Zhengke Office]

The owner of the office, Colonel Bozukhof, held the cup, leaned against the windowsill, and looked out the window coldly.

The door was pushed open and a captain walked in with a warrant officer in a brand new uniform.

Before the two of them could fully enter the office, the captain happily introduced: "Col. This year we will be assigned to our trainee officers, Paulino and Warrant Officer Paulino Como."

He hugged the warrant officer's shoulder and enthusiastically introduced to his junior: "This is Colonel Bozukhof - if you don't make any mistakes, you will get along with us this year."

Warrant Officer Komo also had the unique childishness of the officer who had just left the ivory tower. He immediately threw down the carry in his hand and gave a strong salute: "Col.

Bozhukov waved his hand helplessly and replied in a sloppy manner: "Close the door."

The door was closed again, blocking the clerk's eyes and ears, and only officers were left in the office.

"This year...560 years..." Colonel Bozukhof looked at the ceiling and counted to himself: "Then you are the first..."

"Issue 24." Warrant Officer Komo answered first, and added a little embarrassedly: "But counting the preparatory course, I only studied in Guitucheng for four years, and both the second and third academic years were in the New Army Academy in Hailan."

Colonel Bozukhof sighed: "One is counting."

He took out a new cup, poured out some dark liquid from the exquisite silver pot placed on the windowsill, and signaled the warrant officer to come to him.

Colonel Bozukhof said sadly: "You are the last generation. The last generation of Venetta officers from the Orthodox Army Academy. From you, there will never be any Venetta people coming out of the school established by the old marshal."

Warrant Officer Komo held the cup and didn't know how to answer.

The captain who led Warrant Officer Komo into the door tried to adjust the atmosphere. He took the silver cup from his junior and looked at the colonel with a reproachful look: "Is it still morning, are you going to drink?"

"This is not wine." Colonel Bozukhof was close to the captain, so he was not offensive, and he explained lightly: "This is a new thing from the Far East, called [Coffee]."

The captain took a bite in half belief and half doubt, and immediately spitted back his cup: "Hell, hell!"

Colonel Bozukhof was unintentionally explained the rejuvenation of coffee to his adjutant because he had been occupied by grief and anger: "Let the Unionists take away the legacy of the old marshal! Indulge the Great Vinetta Legion to become the 'Naval Army'! Sign a humiliating budget! None of these are counted at all - he even allowed the navy to enter our door openly? That old man Zio! What are you thinking?!"

The warrant officer dared not speak.

The captain, however, asked in confusion: "Navy? Where is it?"

"Isn't it there?" Colonel Bozukhof pointed down.

The captain immediately approached the window, and Warrant Officer Komo also leaned forward.

The two happened to witness Colonel Kara leading three men in casual clothes up the stairs and disappearing from their blind spots in sight.

The captain pulled his upper body back from the window and confirmed to the colonel: "Col. Kara brought those three guys?"

"Just rush to those three bald people." Colonel Bozukhof sneered: "I can't guess their origins wrong, either."

"What is the general who brought the navy to the palace?" The captain half-believed and half-doubted: "Borrowing a boat? Deciding to send troops? Why didn't he hear the wind?"

Colonel Bozhuhof ignored the adjutant, but put down his cups heavily, stood in front of the new warrant officer, stared at the latter's eyes, and asked in a deep voice: "Warrant officer, answer me. We - the army established by Marshal Ned Smith, the most noble army of the Venetta Republic, who is the primary enemy?"

The warrant officer instinctively replied: "Empire!"

Colonel Bozukhof snorted coldly from his nose.

"Then..." The warrant officer's shoulders drooped, and he asked humbly and carefully: "Is it a Union Provincial?"

Colonel Bozukhof frowned and looked at the adjutant with a bad expression: "Are you excluding your juniors who have not graduated from the Mainland College?"

"How is that possible?!" the captain cried out for his wrongfulness.

Colonel Bozukhof picked up his arms: "Then why don't you teach what you should teach clearly?!"

Upon hearing this, the captain kicked the warrant officer gently, coughing to remind the latter.

"Oh! It's that! I remembered it!" The warrant officer was enlightened and blurted out: "Navy! Our primary enemy is the Navy!"
Chapter completed!