In the middle of winter, cumulus clouds block out sunlight, leaving the world in a gloomy and grey hue.

Lorraine, the city of Somsonas, was driven by the Normans, and thousands of people gathered in the Place de la Crandolphe in front of the Old Council Chamber. During the Norman army's capture of the site, the historic town hall was destroyed by shells, and now a new, typically Norman-style building stands in front of the old square. From the outside, it has no artistic beauty, but a crude combination of pragmatism and fortress thinking. At the top of this fortified structure, the scarlet banner of the Norman Empire is displayed in the wind, as if to show off its invincible military exploits and hegemony over the world.

"Military Governor's Palace? Ahh Unless the people of Lorraine die, this dilapidated house will be blown to the ground sooner or later! ”

In the crowd, there was a hunchbacked old man who spat on his face with disdain.

A one-legged man on crutches next to him replied: "Didn't their last military governor of Lorraine be seriously injured by our guerrilla fighters?" Change one, we continue to bomb, bomb until they obediently withdraw! ”

The person in front turned his head, squinted at his only remaining eye, and grinned, "That's right, blow up the fuck!" Blow them up until they're scared and convinced! ”

As he spoke, a milky voice came from below: "Will the Normans be afraid?" ”

The old man, the one-legged man, and the one-eyed man set their eyes together on the child snuggled up to the woman's lap. Then the woman bowed her head and said, "Because they have taken possession of our homes and done bad deeds, they are afraid of punishment." ”

"Who will punish them?" The child asked.

The one-legged man said, "Although we can't punish them, someone will definitely punish them!" There will definitely be! ”

"Is it our guerrilla fighters?" The child continued to ask questions in his childish tone.

"Shhhhhhh......h ”

The child nodded seriously: "I will keep it a secret, even if the bad people give me candy, I won't say it."

The adults looked at each other, showing a look of relief and helplessness.

At this time, behind the tapered window on the second floor of the Norman Lordraine Military Governor's Palace, which was facing the square, a young man wearing a military uniform and wearing a long sword at his waist was silently watching the crowd in the square. Compared with the typical Norman soldiers, he was neither burly nor muscular, and even looked a little weak, but his eyes had the sharpness of an eagle, his expression had a fierce aura, and his high chest wore a rare gold double sword and shield medallion, which could only be won by a high-ranking officer who had made outstanding contributions in a major battle. Because he is different, he seems to be high-spirited and ambitious, but in his deep eyes, there is a faint melancholy that is indescribable.

There was a knock on the door behind him, and a tall, junior officer with a pistol at his waist walked in, his boots rattling on the hardwood floor.

"Your Excellency the Baron of Sabre, Your Excellency the Military Governor of Lorraine, the PA equipment is ready, and the inhabitants are all here, and you can address them at any time." The junior officer reported in Ulster, in a rounded voice, to the young general, who was still facing the window.

"That's all there is to it?" The young general asked sullenly.

This low-ranking officer had a broad forehead and a square face and a high nose, and was typical of Norman northerners. He hesitated: "There are only so many people who can act, and those who can't move...... Not much left. ”

The young general asked: "The report two months ago said that there are still more than 20,000 residents in the city of Somsonas, and in just two months, it has decreased by more than two-thirds, why?" ”

The junior officer, apparently unprepared for these problems, said hesitantly: "Well, because of the guerrilla attacks, the restrictions on the food supply, and for other reasons, the number of inhabitants has indeed decreased, and of course, many of them have taken refuge in the surrounding farms, and if you drive them back to the city, it will not be too far from what you said." For all these reasons, this embarrassing situation has been caused by today, and I am very sorry that no one is disrespectful to you! ”

"Excuse me? Sorry for what use. The young general dropped this sentence angrily, turned around and left the room.

The junior officer looked hatefully at the crowd outside the window, turned around, and quickly followed.

Chirping...... Knock Knock......

There was a murmur over the loudspeaker, and then a voice in Ulster, speaking in the cold wind, drifted into the ears of the residents. It's not loud enough, it's not cold enough, it's not even resolute enough, and correspondingly, it doesn't sound so hateful......

"Citizens of the city of Somsonas, I am the new military governor of Lorraine appointed by the Norman Empire, Baron Alla Scala. My mission is to maintain order in the occupied areas of Lorraine, to protect the lives of legitimate civilians, to restore economic production as soon as possible, and to improve the living standards of the people. I know—and can understand your feelings—that your army is valiantly on the battlefield, but you have encountered a much stronger adversary, so much so that you have lost the battle and your homeland has been reduced to occupation. Whether you accept it or not, this is a fact that cannot be changed. You are determined to resist, and we will accompany you to the end; You accept it sensibly, and we treat each other politely. From this day onwards, your food ration will be increased by 20 per cent, but if it is found that any of you are secretly contacting and helping the guerrillas, not only will the troublemakers be thrown into prison, but the ration of your family and neighbors will be halved! ”

Before the words fell, the crowd in the square was already in a commotion.

"As far as I know, military production here was on an unprecedented scale before the Norman army occupied Somsonas, but when the Norman army arrived, most of the production facilities were gone. I think it was these disappearing equipment and facilities that provided the guerrillas with a steady stream of supplies. Now, I give you a chance to shake off poverty and make a fortune, anyone...... As soon as information is provided about the location of the equipment or supplies, once confirmed, we will reward you with 10% of the value of the seized goods in the form of krona coins, Norman pounds, or any kind of hard currency you want, and we can give you Norman citizenship or send you to a neutral country to start a new life. This is an unprecedented opportunity, and I hope you will consider it carefully. This is a gift from my old friend of Somsonas! ”

At the end of the speech, the people exchanged heads and ears, and dispersed slowly and orderly. Snowflakes were falling in the sky, and the ground was littered with footprints, and it would not be long before it would be covered in snow. Standing on the high-rise terrace of the reinforced concrete building, the Norman Baron Sabre, a major general and military governor of the occupied territory of Lorraine, and the eldest son of the Clumber-Haysen family, stared at the scene that had been remembered for many years without saying a word. In the city, some old buildings have disappeared, some streets seem much wider, and several newly renovated buildings have appeared in prominent positions; Outside the city, in the industrial production area of the mountains, the Klumberg-Haissen plant is in ruins, and there is no longer the rumored revival of prosperity.

After a long time, there was a Norman report behind him.

"Your Excellency the Baron Sabre, Your Excellency the Governor, a very old man from Lorraine has come and asked if we can release his two sons from the prisoner of war camp if he provides a storage point for the equipment and supplies of the guerrillas." The low-ranking officer, who was burly and had a wide forehead and a square face, still spoke in a tone that was round and lacked emotion.

"What's his name?"

"He said his name was Saputala, a native who was a former worker at the Clumber-Haysen factory, and that his two sons had been conscripted into the army during the war and had been added to the troops of the 1st Federal Army."

"Saputara?" The young general frowned, and pondered: "You can promise him that as long as his son is alive, we will definitely release them back."

"I see!" The officer responded, "You mean, let him take us to the secret warehouse of the guerrillas first, and as for his request, we will see the situation later." ”

"Don't you seem to understand that a baron with a sword with great military achievements would use deception on an old man in his seventies? Since I made a promise, as long as he does what he is supposed to do, I will do it. ”

The Norman officer looked at the young general in amazement, and was stunned for a few seconds before saluting and leaving.

There was no one else on the terrace, and the young general muttered to himself, "Dar Saputala, Maren Saputara, inseparable brothers, I hope your luck is good enough." Your father is willing to trade a lifetime of good name for your life, and from now on, Somsonas may not have a place for you. ”

In the ground floor room of the fortress-like building, old Saputara, wearing a felt hat, sat tremblingly in a chair, and the whole person was uneasy and hesitant. As soon as the burly and imposing Norman officer strode in, he immediately "bounced" from his chair.

The Norman officer spoke in Norman and asked the interpreter next to him to relay it on his behalf. The translator is a white and innocent young man, who looks quite good, but one eye is crooked, and this situation obviously cannot pass the military physical examination. Therefore, he wore a Norman military uniform with no military rank and accessories, and his words and deeds were completely devoid of the temperament and demeanor of a soldier. The Ulster language in his mouth was not comparable to that of the Baron alla Scala, but it was quite fluent, and the old man listened very hard, nodding at times, frowning at times, and at last he said to the interpreter: "I beg to tell the officer, that I must see my two sons before I take them." It's the same as buying and selling. If you don't agree, I'm not afraid of them tossing at my age. If it weren't for the betrayal of my compatriots to save my two sons, I wouldn't have done it anyway. ”

The interpreter carefully relayed his request to the Norman officer, and his eyes widened, and he looked at the old man viciously, like a wild beast looking at his prey. After a while, he shouted a few words, and after the translation relayed it, the old man shook his head, sat down in the chair, and simply closed his eyes to recuperate.

The Norman officer was about to have a seizure, so he walked back and forth in the room, thinking about it, waved his hand impatiently, signaled the Norman soldiers who were on standby at the door to escort the old man down, and walked out with a huff. The interpreter didn't dare to say more, sighed silently, shook his head and left.