Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

“My name means ‘red-hot stove’.”

"Huh?" Angelona was completely bewildered, but she was too early to be confused.

Zhang Honglu slowly recited another line of poetry.

“'Newly brewed wine with green foam, a small red clay stove with a burning fire.'”

“My father named me this in the hope that my brother and I would be loyal to each other and take care of one another.” Zhang Honglu looked at the distant night sky and murmured, “This ‘green wine’ must be warmed by a ‘red stove’ to be successful.”

Chapter 892: What they achieve, I will achieve too!

"General Clemson, everything is ready. You can begin at any time."

"well……"

A tall man dressed in a blue uniform with a military jacket underneath threw his cigarette butt to the ground and stomped it out. He walked step by step onto the stage, and his subordinates pulled a lever, turning on the lights in the barracks one after another, illuminating his figure and making him appear exceptionally imposing, accompanied by cheers.

This is a rather spacious military base, or perhaps "fortress" would be a more apt description. Within towering walls and watchtowers lies a space the size of half a town, containing armories, trenches, and fortresses specifically designed for defense.

As the lights came on, the soldiers inside the fortress raised their rifles and erupted in a fierce roar, a cacophony of cheers, applause, and whistles.

General Clemson stood on the platform, arms outstretched, eyes slightly closed, thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere of being above everyone else. He deliberately exposed his chest, showing the soldiers below the string of magnificent medals hanging from his heart.

"Comrades in the 'Blue Army,' brothers, you should celebrate, you should feel proud!"

"Taking advantage of the Red Peril's departure to sea, we planned our attack and advanced with lightning speed! We swiftly recaptured three cities, seized key transportation routes, and even captured Glenburg. Standing here today, I can proudly announce..."

General Clemson clenched his fist, raised it high, and shouted, "Our strategic objectives for the first phase have been fully achieved!"

"Oh oh oh oh————!"

Although there were no shouts of "Long live the Emperor!", the atmosphere was just as lively as it could be.

"By capturing Glenburg, we have accomplished something unprecedented. Just now, our Blue Coats brothers, with overwhelming superiority, repelled the Lamoine Raiders under the Red Bane. We have proven one thing to the rest of America: those damned raiders are just a bunch of mad dogs, not invincible!"

"Their leader, Ranger Meteora, was once part of the Confederate Army. If we could turn back time thirty years, he would have been nothing more than a defeated enemy of the Union Army, a dog crawling at our feet!"

"Brothers, how can we tolerate handing over our land, our traditions, everything to that lowly yellow barbarian and those stinking southerners?! Letting these people, who should be under our feet, trample on our heads?"

"Unacceptable—!!" The soldiers below raised their weapons and answered in unison as if they were holding a concert.

"That's right, it cannot be tolerated!"

Clemson got a response and became even more enthusiastic, his beard and hair almost standing on end.

He paced back and forth on the stage, raised his fist, and roared, "We cannot tolerate this red scourge, and his two yellow-skinned bastards, appearing in this once clean country, dressed in suits and looking all respectable, and stealing what rightfully belongs to us!"

"So, we will continue our advance. We don't need to worry about money, food, weapons, or logistics; our friends in the north will take care of that."

"What we need to do is to regroup tonight, then launch another attack, first taking back Ukraine from the Red Omen Triumvirate. Then we'll continue south and drive this filthy family completely out of this country!"

These words were like adding fuel to the fire, making the atmosphere in Glenburg even more heated. The Blue-Clad Soldiers raised their glasses, clinked them together, and shouted, as if they could already see the scene the general had promised, and they were overjoyed.

From their perspective, they certainly had the right to display such fervor. At least, before their uprising, the northern military units harbored a natural fear of the "Lamoine Raiders." They weren't even a regular southern army, but rather a secretive group of thugs who only obeyed the Three Elements Group. In peaceful times, the Lamoine Raiders were simply employees of Morgan Communications, driving armed wagons and delivering messages across the country, without ever causing any major disturbances.

However, when real battles come, these fearsome warriors quickly assemble and, led by the "Red Peril," crush and annihilate the enemy—this is the prevailing saying in the North.

According to some elderly people, 14 years ago, the famous "High Tree War" was fought by the Red Overseer, who personally led the Lamoine Raiders to participate in the war. They actually joined forces with the Native Americans to defeat the real army mobilized by the American federal government! This is the source of their fear. They are not only afraid, but they don't even want to mention it and try their best to avoid it.

However, just before nightfall today, the Blue-Clad Army, which had occupied Glenburg, engaged in a fierce battle with the Ramorn raiders!

The enemy launched three attacks, all of which were repelled. The fighting resulted in numerous casualties, and many bodies remained piled up beneath the walls of the fortress, yet to be retrieved.

If this isn't a great victory, then what is?

Clemson, the leader of the Blue Army, also took this opportunity to give an impromptu speech, boosting morale to its peak. Amid the cheers of his subordinates, he felt greatly satisfied and stepped off the stage with a brisk pace.

After the pre-battle speech, as the leader of the uprising, there was another round of smaller meetings to be held after he stepped off the stage.

"Are you serious about what you just said?"

Perhaps it was because his image was too much like that of a shrewd and rigid strategist that Clemson always felt there was a hidden meaning in what he said.

Especially in front of his captains, saying this openly was like a bucket of cold water being poured on his face, greatly diminishing his arrogant mood and causing his brows to furrow involuntarily.

"What do you mean?"

"I wanted to ask, you just said on stage that you would conquer all other parts of Uxus and march south to expel the Ditasdorf family from the country..." The strategist adjusted his glasses and continued, "Was it just talk to boost morale, or do you really see it as the next strategic move for our Blue Army?"

His captains were all looking at him.

Clemson snorted, "Some parts may be slightly exaggerated, but the general direction is correct."

"Isn't it because they couldn't stand those yellow-skinned bastards riding on our necks and showing off that the Blue Shirt Army was formed? Now that I've been elected leader, I must follow everyone's will and fight on. What's wrong with that?"

"That's right!"

"Follow the general to the death!"

“Drive the red scourge out of this land!”

……

The team leaders seized the opportunity and began to pledge their loyalty, each shouting louder than the last.

"I really don't understand. What's wrong with that? Supplies, logistics, and weapons and ammunition will naturally be provided. We don't need to worry about them. We've already fought them today. The so-called Raiders of Lamoon are nothing special. They boast about being invincible, but they're just a bunch of mediocre people."

"Ukraine, they took it, and so will I!"

Chapter 893: The Red Calamity

Clemson's boastful words drew frequent echoes from his underlings. Amidst the praise, his eyebrows rose even higher, radiating an unspoken sense of superiority. The conversation had just revealed his true intentions—to seize Uxus swiftly and decisively through a rebellion, at least making the state Blue Shirts territory.

This is the second largest state in America, with abundant energy resources, developed agriculture, and a long history of autonomy and independence.

Twelve years ago, in 1881, the Sanyuan Group entered Ukraine, gradually infiltrating its industry and influence like a gentle spring breeze. Along the way, it encountered considerable resistance; the people of Ukraine were known for their fierce nature, making maintaining order a significant challenge.

Although the arrival of the Sanyuan Group brought with it a mature industrial system and accelerated economic development in Ukraine, some people still harbored a deep-seated resentment towards these "outsiders." In particular, the fact that the leader of the Sanyuan Group was Asian was absolutely unacceptable in Ukraine, a state rife with racial discrimination.

However, by then, Sanyuan Group was already a behemoth with a complex structure, and their entry was an inevitable trend that could not be changed by a few complaints from these people.

In addition, the state's top officials have a very good relationship with the Sanyuan Group. After all... who would turn down a lot of money?

Money is money.

Money is money. It doesn't matter if you're white, yellow, or even a little green man. As long as you can bring reasonable and legal economic benefits, we welcome you warmly!

Therefore, in the eyes of this group of resistance fighters, the mayor, town mayor, governor... these guys in suits, dressed impeccably, but who were very close to the Sanyuan Group, became "traitors".

The Blue-Clad Army abruptly launched an attack, and in the three towns they captured, they dragged these people out of their mansions and executed them on the spot in front of everyone.

Clemson's idea was simple—the original regime would never recognize his "rebel army," and since they were of no use to him, he might as well kill them all, which would also boost morale.

Their resistance evolved from simply opposing the Red Peril and the Yellow Barbarians to opposing the Sanyuan Group and the politicians and businessmen who colluded with it, becoming increasingly righteous and awe-inspiring.

……

"Politicians' promises are just like numbers on paper. Until they are fulfilled, whatever they promise you is meaningless."

The strategist's tone was extremely cold, "Don't forget, General, the fundamental reason why we were able to achieve such results in such a short time is that the leader of the Sanyuan Group, [Red Calamity] himself, is now on the other side of the ocean. We seized this opportunity to send troops."

“But his family business is here, and he can’t stay away forever. Therefore, we shouldn’t stretch our battle lines too far.”

Clemson's expression changed, turning grim.

"To be honest, Tang Tu's ability to capture three cities has greatly exceeded my expectations. This is probably the largest territory the 'Blue Army' can take under the current framework. If we fight any further, the risks we face will only increase. Even if we take more territory, we won't have the strength to hold it for long, and we will only lose it all in vain, wasting our strength. It's better to focus on managing these three cities well... and completely transform them into our base."

"Ha, what risks?" Clemson scoffed dismissively. "Those Confederate soldiers are utterly useless. They're no match for us."

“We only used this Glenburg to ‘repel’ them. Admittedly, they lost a lot of men, but we were not without casualties as well.”

The strategist pointed out, "This does not actually mean that our Blue-Clad Army has the ability to defeat the Lamon Raiders head-on."

"..."

Upon hearing this, not only General Clemson, but also the other captains all frowned and looked at him with hostility.

The saying "Don't expose people's hardships" perfectly captures this sentiment—everyone's not stupid, everyone knows that in the past few days of fighting, the Blue Army has had a huge advantage in terms of terrain. With such a fortress, even a group of sixty-year-old men, as long as they have enough guns and ammunition, could hold out for a day or two from their superior position.

However, since they were engrossed in imagining the future, such remarks seemed rather tactless.

“Mister, if that’s the case, then why are we even raising an army?” Clemson said coldly. “In the end, we can’t beat them anyway, so we might as well go back to the countryside and farm like before.”

"...As your strategist, it is my duty to advise you. This advice includes figuring out our strategic needs." Mister sighed, his glasses reflecting a cold glint. "Let me tell you, the Northerners want to use us as a tool to test the Sanyuan Group's reaction."

"They provide money, weapons, and supplies so we can go ahead and stab a giant in the back. But once the giant reacts and retaliates in anger, they will never share any of the burden with us... We have to rely on ourselves for everything."

"To reiterate, three cities are the limit of what we can handle right now. We need to strictly control and transform these three cities... and even if all of this really comes to fruition, every step afterward will be like walking a tightrope—that's how difficult what we're doing is!"

……

Mister talked on and on, but no one seemed to care.

It's difficult for a person to truly understand something before experiencing it firsthand.

"I just don't understand why you're such a coward?" Clemson frowned, his tone full of disdain. "With the Red Calamity gone, the Lamon Raiders are nothing more than a third-rate army. What did I do to make you look down on me so much..."

"They actually think that we're bound to lose if we fight them head-on?"

----

The atmosphere had become so tense that without offering a reason, they wouldn't be able to get through this.

Mister sighed.

Have you ever heard of the 'Chedell family'?

……

"what?"

The doubts of the crowd filled Mister with a sense of sorrow.

“I was once part of this family’s protection. Fourteen years ago, the Cheddar family practically controlled everything in New Elizabeth. Oil, postal services, railroads, sugar... You could say that in New Elizabeth, the Cheddar family was the undisputed emperor. Their power even extended into the federal government and the military!”

"Yet, at this very moment, you have never even heard of this family's name. This once-great family was utterly annihilated by that man with absolute violence."

"And Cheddar was just one of the countless great families he destroyed, an unremarkable one."

……

"The Red Peril married a descendant of the Dietersdorf family and had two sons. Even when he went to sea, the two children remained in the country."

"We'd better pray that neither of these two children went to the battlefield. Otherwise... well... we'd better pray that it was the eldest son who came, not the second."

Mister curled his lips into a bitter smile. "This way, at least we can leave this world peacefully."

Chapter 894: Zhang Lvjiu

"You...you fucking..." The atmosphere was somewhat chilling. Despite the flickering firelight, Clemson felt a coldness creeping in. "What are you talking about? His sons...they're just two immature brats, what can they do?!"

……

Without waiting for Mister's reply.

A muffled thud from afar made him feel uneasy.

"What?" Clemson turned around. "They have cannons?"

"..."

Mister, however, seemed to have fallen ill; his body suddenly trembled violently, and his face turned deathly pale. While everyone else was looking towards the direction beyond the wall, he stood out by raising his head, squinting, and trying his best to see through the night sky.

A tiny dot gradually magnified in the air, and like a meteorite falling to earth, it crashed heavily into the camp inside Glenburg.

"boom------!!!"

Dust and mud flew everywhere, and smoke billowed up. The soft soil was smashed into a large crater by the enormous force!

The smoke dissipated.

The figure slowly straightened up and emerged from the dust.

But this person was tall and imposing, wearing black armor and a fine helmet. Although his face was still somewhat youthful, after seeing him descend from the sky, who would still dare to regard him as a young man?

His face perfectly combined the features of both Easterners and Westerners, with black, tousled hair pressed down by his helmet, framing his forehead. His eyes were also black, deep black, like the night sky he gazed at, cold and devoid of emotion, sweeping over everyone present.

He held a long iron staff carved with a coiled dragon in his hand—when it fell to the ground, the staff had driven deep into the ground due to the enormous impact, but now he could lift it up with ease.

"What the hell?" Clemson gasped, instinctively reaching for the gun handle at his waist, and exclaimed in surprise, "Where did he come from?"

……