In that region, the sympathizers of the Northern Holy Soul Alliance were in the minority, and the human and demon holy wars brought them the most disaster, just like in all border regions, brothers killed each other, and people snitched each other. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

The refugees all cried out to scorch the Soul Eater Desert, and even the mildest old ladies showed stern joy.

But someone brought back news from the front that General Jiaojiao had ordered that the private property of the Soul Devouring Desert State should not be touched, that plundering would be punishable by death, and that any requisitioned by the army would have to be paid.

In this way, General Jiaojiao would have to pay all the respect he had earned in order to preserve his prestige among the masses, and not let people do whatever they wanted in the rich warehouses of that prosperous state?

What did General Jiao think?

But our lads are in desperate need of shoes, clothes and unicorns!

Dr. Raccoon's son, Puffer Fish, brought back an urgent letter, the only first-hand news received in Fengyun Valley in early July, and it was passed on to the people, causing growing indignation.

"Dad, can you try to get me a pair of boots? I've been barefoot for two weeks, and I still don't hope to get one.

If it weren't for the size of my feet, I could have taken a pair off the dead feet of a Southerner like the other lads, but I haven't hit a Southerner with my big feet yet.

If you can get it for me, please don't send it through the post office.

Someone would have stolen it on the way, and I don't want to blame them. Let's ask the little bullfrog to take a fire steam car and send it.

Where we go, I'll write to someone soon.

I only know that I am heading north, and I don't know what I am looking for, and everyone says that they are driving to the Soul Eater Desert.

"Dad, I think we should retaliate with the Southerners, but the general said no. As for me personally, I don't want to be shot just for the sake of burning down the Southerner's house for a momentary pleasure, Dad, today we passed through a huge field of golden spikes that you may have never seen before.

We don't have such a golden spike field there.

Well, I have to admit that we have secretly plundered in that golden ear field, because we are all starving, and this kind of thing is not dangerous if the general does not know about it.

But it didn't do us any good, and it was even worse for the golden spikes to eat it, and the boys were already suffering from dysentery, and it was more difficult to walk with dysentery than to drag a broken leg.

Dad, please try to get me a pair of boots.

I am now a captain, and a captain should wear a pair of boots even if he does not have a new uniform or epaulettes. “

But the army is in the Soul Eater Desert - that's all that matters.

Fight another victory, and the human-demon holy war will end. Then all the boots needed for the puffer fish will be available, and the boys will pull back and everyone will reunite.

Mrs. Raccoon couldn't help but cry when she imagined that her puffer fish son had finally returned home and never left.

On 3 July, the telegraph from the north suddenly fell silent, and it was not until noon on the 4th that intermittent altered reports flowed into the headquarters in Fengyun Valley.

It turned out that there was a fierce battle in the Soul Eater Desert, and a big battle was fought near a small town called the Beast Castle, which involved all the troops of the Descending General.

The news was not very exact, and it came too late, because the Human-Demon Holy War was fought in the enemy area, and all the reports had to be transferred to Ruthless Bay, and then to the Valley of Storms.

Anxiety grew in the hearts of the people, and a premonition of fear slowly spread throughout the city.

The worst thing is not understanding the truth of the matter.

All families with sons on the front line are anxious to purify their souls, hoping that their children will not be in the Soul Eater Desert, but those who know that their relatives are in the puffer fish regiment have to grit their teeth and claim that it is a very honorable thing for them to participate in this fierce battle that will defeat the Nankees forever.

The three women of Aunt Salted Fish's family had no choice but to look at each other with unconcealable fear.

Mengjiao is in the puffer fish group.

By the 5th of July, bad news had finally arrived, but not from the Ruthless Bay but from the west.

The Flame Castle had fallen, had fallen after a long and brutal siege, and in fact the entire Xianlin Hot Springs Valley, from the Mirror of Heaven to the Valley of Sweet Springs, had fallen to the Southerners.

The Northern Holy Soul Alliance has been cut into two pieces.

At any other time, the news of this catastrophe would bring terror and sorrow to the people of Fengyun Valley.

But now, it's too late for them to think about the Castle of Fire.

They were thinking about the Descending Jiao General who was attacking the Soul Eater Desert.

As long as General Jiao wins the battle in the east, the fall of the Flame Castle will not be too much of a disaster.

There's also the Soul Eater Desert, the Golden City, and the Capital of the Gods.

Once they are defeated, the entire northern area will be paralyzed, which is more than enough to offset the defeat of the Xianlin Hot Spring Basin.

Hour after hour passed dreary, and the shadow of calamity hung over the city, darkening the hot sun.

Until people suddenly raised their heads and stared at the sky in astonishment, as if they did not believe that it was clear and blue, but that the clouds were all over and it was dull.

Everywhere you can see women gathering in groups in the corridors in front of the houses, on the sidewalks, and even in the middle of the streets, huddled together, telling each other that there is no good news, and at the same time trying to comfort each other and pretend to be brave.

However, rumors circulated secretly, flying back and forth on the silent street like bats, saying that General Jiaojiao had died and the battle was defeated, and the list of large casualties was coming in one after another.

People tried not to believe it, but their neighbors near and far were so frightened that they ran to the downtown area, to the newspaper and the headquarters, to ask for news, even bad news.

Crowds of people gathered around the station, hoping that the incoming train would bring news, or they waited, quietly, at the door of the telegraph office, outside the beleaguered headquarters, in front of the locked newspaper office, and they were a surprisingly quiet crowd, gathering more and more silently.

No one spoke. Occasionally, an old man begged for news in a trembling voice, and all one heard was the oft-repeated reply: "The telegram from the north says nothing but that it has been fighting." “

However, this not only did not motivate the people to complain, but only strengthened the atmosphere of silence. Women on foot or in unicorns on the periphery are also becoming more and more crowded.

The heat generated by everyone's rubbing shoulders and the purple dust stirred up by restless footsteps made the surrounding air suffocating.

The women did not speak, but their faces were blue and they pleaded with a silent eloquence that was much louder than crying.

Almost every household in the city has someone on the front line, whether it is a son, a brother, a father, a lover, or a husband.

People were waiting for news that someone in their family might have been killed. They expect news of death, but they don't want to hear of defeat.

They dispelled that notion of failure.

Their men may be dying, even at this very moment, on the barren grass roasted by the sun in the mountains of the Soul Eater Desert, and even at this very moment, the soldiers of the North may be falling one after another, like grain under hail, but the doctrine for which they fought will never fall.

They may die in the thousands, but like the fruit of the teeth, thousands of newcomers, dressed in purple uniforms and shouting slogans of rebellion, will emerge from the ground to take their place.

As for where these people will come from, no one knows yet.

They were just as convinced that there was a just and absolutely faithful God in heaven, and they were convinced that General Jiao was extraordinary and that the Psychic Sanctuary army was invincible.

Miss Clumsy, Weak, and Salted Fish stopped in front of the Tianmeng Daily in a unicorn car, and they sat in the car with parasols.

The unicorn's canopy was folded behind its back, its clumsy hands were shaking, and the parasol on its head was shaking.

Salted fish was very excited, the nose on the round face was like a rabbit's nose and kept trembling, only the weak elephant was a stone sculpture, sitting there motionless, but the night eyes were also widening and widening.

Within two hours she had said only one word, and that was when she had taken the salt sniffer out of her handbag and handed it to her aunt, and for the first time in her life she had spoken to her in such an unkind tone.

"Auntie, take it, and if you feel like you're fainting, smell it.

If you do faint, and to tell you honestly, there is no way to do it, but to have Uncle Bluebeard send you home, for I won't leave here until I hear about it—until I hear the news. And I'm not going to let Clumsy leave me. ”

Clumsy had no intention of leaving, because she didn't want to leave without the first news about Mengjiao after she left.

No, even if Miss Salted Fish died, she would never leave here. Meng Jiao was fighting somewhere, maybe dying, and the newspaper was the only place where she could get accurate information.

She looked around the crowd to recognize her friends and neighbors, and saw Mrs. Raccoon standing there with her hat crooked and the fifteen-year-old bullfrog holding her up, and the Onion Sisters trying to hide their glow-in-the-dark teeth with their trembling upper lips.

Madame Fava Douer stood up straight like a Spartan mother, but the few strands of purple hair that hung down from her bun and scattered revealed the confusion in her heart.

Broad Bean's face was as pale as a ghost.

Mrs. Sweetheart sat in her unicorn car and gently patted the hand of the sleeping bug, who seemed to be pregnant for a long time, although she carefully covered herself with her shawl.

It's very unsightly for her to come out in public like this, why is she so worried?

No one had heard of the Soul Swamp's army arriving in the Soul Eater Desert.

It's a shame that her hairy little volunteer is still in Ruthless Bay at the moment.

There was a commotion on the outskirts of the crowd, and those who were standing got out of the way, as Zhou Bo rode his unicorn cautiously towards Aunt Salty's unicorn cart.

Stupid thought to himself, where did he get the courage to dare to come at this time, and he was not afraid that these rebels would easily tear him to pieces because he was not wearing a military uniform!

As he approached, she felt like she would be the first to tear him apart.

How dare he ride a steed unicorn, with shiny boots and a snow-white linen suit, and an expensive cigar in his mouth, so fashionable and healthy, and yet Mengjiao and all the other lads are barefoot, sweating, hungry, and suffering from stomach ulcers fighting the Southerners—how dare he?

Many people cast hateful glances at him.

He slowly walked through the crowd, the old men blew their beards and roared, and Mrs. Sweetheart, who was not afraid of heaven and earth, got up slightly in the unicorn car and shouted clearly: "Speculators!"

The tone used made the word even more dirty and poisonous.

But he paid no attention to anyone, and waved his hat at Aunt Weak and Salted Fish, and then came to Ben's side, leaned down and whispered, "Don't you think it's time for Dr. Raccoon to give us his famous speech on victory, which is like a screaming eagle on our banner?"

The stupid nerves were already very nervous, and she didn't know what to do, when she suddenly turned her head like an angry cat and tried to scold him a few words, but he stopped him with a gesture.

"I've come to tell you guys," he said aloud, "I've just been to the headquarters, and the first casualty list has arrived. “

His words caused a murmur among those around him who were listening to him, and the crowd began to stir as they prepared to run down Whitehall Street towards headquarters.

"Don't go," he shouted, standing up from the saddle of the unicorn, raising his hands, "stay where you are! ”

"Well, Captain Zhoubo," called weakly, looking back at him with tears in her eyes. "Thank you for coming and telling us! When will the list be posted?"

"It's been half an hour since it was handed over to the newspaper. It will be announced soon, ma'am. The officer in charge of this foreign affairs must have asked for the seal to be released before it was announced, because he was afraid that the masses would rush in to ask for news. Hey, lo and behold!"

The window on the side of the newspaper office opened, and a hand reached out, holding a long, narrow stack of printed materials with densely packed names that had just been typeset.

The crowd rushed forward to grab it. Tearing those long strips of paper in half, someone grabbed it and desperately squeezed it out to see it, and the latter continued to squeeze forward, and everyone was shouting: "Let me pass! Let me pass!"

"Hold on to the reins," Zhou Bo said as he jumped off the unicorn and threw the reins to Uncle Bluebeard.

He was seen shrugging his shoulders above the crowd, pushing and pushing past him desperately. After a while he returned, with several lists in his hand, which he threw to the weak, and distributed the rest to the young lady sitting in the unicorn cart nearby, including the Onion Head Sisters, Mrs. Raccoon, Mrs. Sweetheart, and Mrs. Fava Bean.

"Quick, weak," cried out clumsy impatiently, for her weak hand was trembling, and she could not see clearly, and was very annoyed.

"Take it," Weakly whispered, and Dumb snatched it up.

Let's start with the names that start with W, but where are they? Now, at the bottom, and they're all blurred.

She began to read, her throat trembling a little, "Now, weak, he's not in there! He's not in there! Auntie?"

Now, what's wrong with you, weak, take out the salt sniffer! “

Weak and happy to cry in public, while holding Miss Salted Yu'er's head, and at the same time putting the sniffing salt under his nose, stupidly supporting the fat old lady from the other side, and singing happily in his heart, Mengjiao is still alive, and he is not even injured.

How good God is to let him go!

How--she heard a low moan, and when she looked back, she saw Xiangxiang? Fava Bean leaned her head on her mother's chest, and the casualty list fell on the unicorn pedal, and Mrs. Fava Bean's thin lips trembled, and she held her daughter tightly in her arms, and calmly commanded the coachman: "Quick, go home." (To be continued.) )