Chapter 465: Chapter 465. First Demon Legion

    "People of Echos...!"

    Prince Huang San’s voice echoed through the air. After beheading Pan Xisheng, he used the announcement talisman to deliver a speech.

    "... I can see a lot of you here. That tells me one thing. You all understand the pain and misery caused by this disaster. Sadly, this is not a natural disaster. This is man-made, and we have the name of the party to blame, the Yellow Voice Rebels!!"

    Huang San paused for a bit to let his words sink in.

    "The rebels have always deluded themselves as the champions of the common folks. That is a lie! It is a lie as plain as the sky itself. Everyone who has eyes and common sense can see that. All they have caused is death and suffering. They are not fighting for the common folks. They fought for themselves, for power. I know Echos has flaws, but so does every country that ever existed in Aetheria. Despite its flaws, Echos gives its citizens a period of peace and stability, does it not?

    "What do you think will happen if the rebels take over? This is the same rebels who destroyed two major cities, Qishurg City and Fuxiang City. These two majestic cities, full of vibrant lives, are now reduced to ruins. Uncountable innocent lives are lost. The rebels don’t care about the common folks. They don’t care about justice. They don’t care if you live or die. That’s why they should be eradicated! That’s why I took a vow to eliminate them!

    "I ask for your support! Those who can fight, join us! Those who cannot, spread my words! Bear witness to what happened here and convey it to our fellow citizens across the country. It is time we cut out this disease that has plagued our country for decades. It is time we take out the rebels, once and for all...!!!"

    A roaring cheer echoed throughout the place. Most of these cheers came from Huang San’s soldiers and the citizens of Fuxiang City, but the fervor soon spread to those who came from other settlements to spectate the execution.

    After that rallying speech, Huang San resumed with another speech, saying he would help rebuild Fuxiang City. He had been granted the reconstruction funds from the kingdom and will personally oversee the process.

    This news was favorably welcomed by the citizens of Fuxiang City. They thought at first the kingdom would abandon Fuxiang City as it did with Qishurg City. They had been depressed about where to go if that happened. With this announcement, their worry was lifted. They looked at Prince Huang San with a deep sense of gratitude.

    *

    The night after the execution, Amon visited Bu Zheng, who looked melancholily atop the Fuxiang City’s wall over the ruined city.

    "I thought as an ex-rebel, you might see this as a victory?" Amon asked.

    "Don’t insult me," Bu Zheng uttered. "This is precisely the thing that made me leave the rebels."

    He sighed. "My parents were poor cultivators who happened to cross someone with a good connection with the kingdom officials. They were executed with false charges. I was helpless to do anything. A rebel recruiter found me. He talked about sweet things, everything I wanted to hear, about how the rebels dream of reforming this country and how the kingdom is the cancer of this world. Due to my grudge, I joined without hesitation.

    "I grew up there. You would think I’m fully assimilated into their way of life. However, I saw their hypocrisy. Not immediately, of course. They did terrible things. I... did terrible things. I didn’t even realize it then. I seriously thought we were the good guys, like many other rebel recruits. We thought we were doing it for a better future, for us and the people of this country. That is until I was sent in a squad tasked to eliminate a couple suspected of knowing the identity of one of our undercover members."

    Bu Zheng went quiet for a few seconds before resuming, "The couple turns out to have a kid. I can never forget the face of that kid when we put his parents down. When I saw that kid, I somehow thought about myself when I watched my parents’ execution. That was when it hit me. The kingdom, the rebels, it makes no difference. It just meant more innocent bystanders got caught up in their power struggle. My teammates wanted to eliminate the kid as well. I fought them to help the kid escape. I ended up killing my teammates. I have been on the run since then."

    Bu Zheng sighed again. "I don’t care who wins or loses between the kingdom and the rebels since then. I just want to be left alone."

    "What do you feel now?" Amon asked. "Do you still want nothing to do with this struggle?"

    "... I originally thought so. Once I fulfill my promise to serve you for five years, I plan to leave."

    "You don’t have the same thought now?" Amon asked.

    "... I was moved by the prince’s speech. As he said, the kingdom does have its flaws, but it is a hundred times better than what the rebels have done, especially what they did to Qishurg City and this city. I don’t want them to win."

    The side of Amon’s mouth went up into a small grin.

    "There is a chance for you to help us make that happen, but it will require you to take a big risk."

    Bu Zheng turned to Amon and asked, "What kind of risk are we talking about?"

    "One that requires you to reestablish contact with the rebels, which might cost you your life," Amon replied.

    "... Let me hear it first," Bu Zheng said.

    *

    In the following weeks, the force in Fort Fresh Maw saw an uptick of applicants, both from independent cultivators and soldier transfer requests. Surprisingly, many of the transfer requests came from the surviving soldiers who followed Jiang Bo during the siege.

    These soldiers saw first-hand the destruction of Fuxiang City, but the deciding factor of their decision to transfer was that they knew about the conversation between Prince Huang San and Jiang Bo prior to the final assault into the city. Amon instructed Huang San to speak loudly when he gave Jiang Bo the command to only send Martial Realm soldiers when the city gate was open. That was to let the soldiers guarding outside to hear him.

    The guarding soldiers were among the Mystic Realm cultivators who survived. After the firestorm, they understood Huang San’s order was to protect them. This meant Jiang Bo was to blame for the soldiers who lost their lives to the firestorm. This news spread, and many decided they preferred to follow the thirteenth prince who valued the soldier’s life.

    Jiang Bo was helpless to prevent it. The administrative process for the transfer was directly overseen by the Prime Minister. Jiang Bo couldn’t reject these requests even if he wanted to. All he could do was grit his teeth in frustration while enduring another scolding from his uncle, Jiang Tong.

    Thanks to these recruits, the force in Fort Fresh Maw was almost double their previous number. They were now a legion of six thousand soldiers. Thanks to this increase, Amon requested Huang San to handle the administrative process of making this force a permanent force under his command. This meant even after they achieved their objective, he would still retain command of this force.

    Huang San didn’t mind. He was of the same thought. He saw this force as his personal army. With help from Prime Minister Zhu Yao, He quickly completed the process. The force in Fort Fresh Maw was now given a new name suggested by Amon, the First Demon Legion.

    While many high-level cultivators who survived Fuxiang City’s firestorm enlisted to join Huang San’s force, the remaining low-level cultivators stayed to help rebuild the city. Thanks to the news of reconstruction, many settlers from other settlements came to join. These settlers were opportunists who saw the chance to make it big while the competition was still scarce.

    Amon did the same. He had Gao Lan send a detachment of Demon Gang members to occupy Fuxiang City’s underworld when its society was being reformed. With support from Huang San, they would serve as his extension and undercover force to maintain order during the reconstruction.

    Huang San now aimed to do in Fuxiang City what he originally planned for Qishurg City. Fuxiang City became his new base. He even planned to build another Royal Academy once things settled down, but that would have to wait until they vanquished the rebels.

    Hence, Huang San spent most of his time in Fuxiang City while Amon was in charge of Fort Fresh Maw.

    The rebels’ activity near the capital decreased after the event in Fuxiang City. This was mostly due to public sentiment. Huang San’s speech was widely disseminated, and word of mouth spread quickly. This caused the public to be more supportive of the kingdom than when the same thing happened to Qishurg City.

    The rebels had fewer sympathizers. Independent organizations treated them more hostilely than before. Many reported them to the authorities when they suspected someone was a rebel.

    The rebels had no choice but to go back into hiding again. This allowed Amon to focus on training the First Demon Legion.