With dinner over, it was time for Weiss to turn the page on this phase of the battle. The guerrilla warfare, which was once full of ambition, had a pretty good start and survived round after round of strangulation by the enemy, but in the end it ended in failure. Back in the cramped and gloomy "prison in the air", Weiss has a lot of thoughts, but no one to tell. Knowing that Nikolai was on the same battleship, he had a lot to say and a lot to ask, but he didn't have this opportunity......

That night, the Norman set sail for an unknown destination, and when the small ventilation window shone in the early morning light, Weiss was called out by the ship's armed crew, and followed them through the dark and winding passageway to the door of the ship's lowest exit cabin. Standing in front of the pedals, he saw a familiar and intimate sight.

It's been a long time, Somsonas City!

Outside the battleship, a neat and energetic line of Norman infantry waited. They appeared here not to greet the two big men, but to escort the guerrilla commander who had just given up resistance—to Weiss's surprise, the two Norman soldiers at the head of the line had war drums on their chests, and when the procession began to march towards the city, they beat the drums to a monotonous beat, and the ranks marched to the beat of the drums, like musketeers who had thrown themselves into battle in the days of flintlock muskets.

When the party entered the city, Weiss realized that the Normans were going to let the inhabitants of Somsonas come out to see, that the guerrilla hero they had embraced had been reduced to prisoners, and that they were returning alone—and lo and behold, this was the end of the confrontation with the Normans!

The Normans thought that by doing so, they would break the resistance of the people of Somsonas and trample on their indomitable will. Weiss walked in the line without saying a word, with his head held high and his chest held high, and when familiar faces appeared on the side of the road, he did not evade or dodge, but took the initiative to meet them, his face calm, and he nodded slightly, like a generous warrior.

Under the call of the drums, more and more people on the side of the road appeared, and when they reached the intersection, the people in the back row had to raise themselves to see the situation ahead. However, compared to the festivals that preceded the war, the popularity of Somsonas has waned considerably. Along the way, Weiss saw no more than a thousand people. Even if most of the people did not arrive because it was still early, the city of Somsonas at this time had about 10,000 residents, only 12/12 of the pre-war period.

The Normans sent Weiss to the Military Governor's Palace in Lorraine, a magnificent new building that has become a striking landmark of the city of Somsonas, but it may have left unpleasant memories for the local people.

As Weiss entered the fortress-like structure, the massive Norman battleship took to the air again, flying southeast over the city of Somsonas. Watching it leave, Ze seemed to have the spell on his body lifted, his cramped expression disappeared, and his body movements became active again.

Retreating, Ze walked up to Weiss: "Don't think too much, now that the fate of all of us has been tied together, no matter how reluctant you are, stop the hostilities!" If you anger them, not only you, me, our family, but many others will suffer. We cannot afford to do so. ”

Weiss raised his hands: "Do you want me to swear to untie these shackles?" ”

Ze stared into his eyes for a few seconds: "I can't understand you, Dragon, you are completely different from the past." ”

"I can understand you, but I'd rather not." Weiss replied.

Ze frowned, now in this situation, his heart must be full of contradictions and entanglements, but the choice he made back then, how easy is it to turn back?

"What is their intention in detaining Nikolai?" Knowing that there was little hope, Weiss tried to find answers from Ze.

Ze really didn't answer, he paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, and stood in front of Weiss again after a while: "I don't think they ask too much of you." For some time to come, you will be in charge of the production organization of the Clumber-Heisen plant, and you will not need to make guns or ammunition, but you will be tasked with making specific parts and components and then modifying the equipment they ship. As long as you are able to complete the assigned number of tasks, I can help you fight for the best possible living conditions and ensure that the sick and wounded are properly treated. ”

"That's a ridiculous request!" Weiss said angrily, "No matter what is produced for them, even if it is ordinary food and medicine, it is indirectly supporting them in fighting the Union army." They did this because they wanted to slowly wear down our fighting spirit, and partly because they had a shortage of labor in the country, and sooner or later they would have to transfer secondary production to the occupied territories. ”

Ze was not surprised at all by what Weiss said, but was a little more wary of him.

"What did I say wrong?" Weiss asked deliberately rhetorically.

Ze Si pondered: "The Norman Empire does have some shortcomings in manpower and resources, and this is the biggest lesson they learned from the last war. Because of this, after the defeat of Wessex, they adopted a moderate approach to occupation, and most of the occupied areas were quickly restored to normal production, while in Ulster, they pursued the same occupation strategy. For our people, it is better to exchange cooperation for a relatively stable life than to be displaced and starved in war. ”

At this point, there was a rush of footsteps outside the door. Ze turned around, waiting for the comer to make a "report", he raised his voice and said in Norman, "What's the matter?" ”

A low-ranking Norman officer came, and he said aloud: "Report to the Governor, there are some people gathered outside, do you want to disperse them?" ”

"How many are there?"

"About five hundred." The man replied, "And counting." ”

"Oh, got it." Ze waved his hand and motioned for the Norman officer to step aside. Then he paced to Weiss's side: "I suddenly understood what they really meant. ”

"Of course, the Norman army is not short of this equipment." "In the process of reorganizing the Clumber-Heisen plant for production, it was not difficult for them to obtain the technical information of the past, so my role was like a flag hanging on a flagpole, and the symbolism was far greater than the actual effect. Right? ”

"Then hang yourself honestly on the flagpole! At least more than 2,000 lives can be saved. Ze said as he walked to the window. The fortress-like building, with its small windows and a shape similar to a shooting hole, does not have a good view from the outside.

After watching for a while, Ze paced to the door, summoned his deputy, and ordered him to open the shackles for Weiss.

"Let's go!" "Meet those who see you as a hero," Ze said in Ulster, "and tell them that, as civilians, they have neither the need – nor the ability to do the duties of a soldier." ”

When Ze's deputy, a Norman soldier who seemed quite clever, walked up to Weiss and was about to use the key to open the shackles for him, Weiss did not cater to him, but took a step back: "No need to untie, that's all, good!" ”

Ze was very surprised, he stared at Weiss, the expression on his face was cloudy, and his deputy also cast a look at him for advice.

After a full minute of standoff, Ze gave his deputy a look. The Norman soldier put away the key, turned and walked out.

With a solemn expression, Ze walked up to Weiss and said in a low voice, "Although they are gone, their eyes have not left here...... Sometimes, I admire those who are in high positions, and their wisdom is simply not something that our class can understand. They are chess players, and we are pawns. Perhaps, the fate of the chess pieces is innate, and all resistance is in vain. ”

Weiss was surprised by Yu Ze's negative attitude, but when he thought about it, the two young bigwigs really played a game of "good chess": the most orthodox heir of the Clumber-Heyssen family became their military governor, and the factories and equipment of the Clumber-Heyssen family were put back into production by them to serve the Norman army.

O sad fate!

"Let's go! If I don't go out, they won't disperse in peace, and there will be some mess. Now it was Weiss's turn to take the initiative.

Ze did not refuse, but reminded: "Patience and obedience or rivers of blood, today, you can only choose the same." ”

"Yesterday, I made my choice." Weiss replied.

Ze glanced at him: "Then continue to keep your sanity!" ”

So, Ze in front and Weiss in the back, the two walked out of the room, through the cold corridor, and came to the door of the hall of the Doge's Palace. At the foot of the steps, the crowd gathered seemed to be sparse, and according to rough estimates, there were far more than 500 people.

Ze stopped, and Weiss took a few more steps, raising his hands so that the people of Somnas could see the shackles on his hands.

"The people of Somsonas...... I'm sorry I couldn't bring you the good news of victory. After arduous resistance, the 'Lorraine guerrilla fighters' on whom you had high hopes unfortunately lost the crucial battle. Those who survived, including me, became prisoners of the Norman army. We will return to the Clumber-Haysen factory and trade our labor for food for survival, and for a long time to come, we will have only one purpose, to survive those who have died. ”

These words are no longer the generosity and heroism of mobilizing the people to support the resistance movement, and some are just helpless compromises at the end of the road. After saying this, the hundreds of Somsonas people present were dumbfounded, even if they did not want to believe what they had seen and heard, reality was reality.

"Even if ...... We lost the battle and became prisoners of the enemy; Even though...... We gave up resistance and toiled silently every day; We will never forget that we are Lorraine, immortal Lorraine! ”

"Lorraine Immortal!"

"Lorraine Immortal!"

There was a cry from the crowd, not loud enough, not exciting enough, but the unyielding cry of the people of Lorraine.

Lorraine is immortal and the battle never stops!

Weiss looked up, tears welling up in his eyes. I don't remember in which dream he saw himself return triumphantly, becoming the pride of Somsonas, receiving the cheers of the populace. When I woke up, I stood here intact, a poor loser. For the sake of the survival of his family and many followers, he endured humiliation......