Dusk gradually fell.
Outside the Horn Fort, in the endless wilderness, the Lion Kingdom soldiers squatting in the trenches were chewing dry food, and suddenly saw a white flag raised in the distant bunker.
At first, the soldiers thought they had seen it wrong.
Until they found that there was no one on the opposite position, more and more people reacted.
An old soldier immediately stuffed the half-eaten dry food back into his pocket, trotted to the back of the trench and reported to the centurion.
"Report! The Horn Fort raised a white flag."
"White flag?!"
The centurion was shocked when he heard it, and immediately ran to the front line with a telescope to confirm it in person, and found that it was indeed a white flag.
Not sure whether it was a trap set by the legion, the centurion did not dare to neglect it and immediately reported the news to his superiors.
In this way, after layers of reporting, the news quickly reached the Skeleton Corps.
Driving to the front line with twenty tanks, Mole raised his telescope and looked at the fortifications in the distance.
Half an hour ago, he had learned about Griffin's death from his old man on the battlefield, and was not surprised at all that the white flag was raised in the fortress.
The administrator in Falcon City had reached an agreement with the governor sent by the Legion.
The Legion would give up its claim to Bister Town, and in exchange, the Alliance would acquiesce to the more than 50,000 "substantial prisoners" in Horn Castle, lay down their weapons and leave the military fortress with dignity, and go to the northernmost riverbank of Oasis No. 2 to wait for the ceasefire agreement to take effect.
Putting down the telescope, Mole looked at the Lion Kingdom soldier standing by and said.
"... Let your 17,000-man team stationed in the north of Horn Castle retreat and let these defeated generals leave."
"Yes!"
The messenger saluted and immediately trotted towards the communication station.
Although the army of the Lion Kingdom was nominally commanded by Prince Winter, it was actually coordinated by the Alliance's Army Headquarters.
Even their radio was provided to them by the Alliance.
The accompanying centurion glanced at the mole standing in the tank turret and asked in confusion.
"Why don't we take the opportunity to wipe them out?"
The mole in the canyon replied casually.
"Griffin is dead."
The centurion was stunned.
He had never heard similar news through his information channels.
"... Isn't this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?"
"War is a means, not an end," the mole squinted his eyes as he looked into the distance, and said casually, "This war is over, and you can go home soon."
Several officers of the Lion Kingdom looked at each other.
They followed the Alliance's army and chased the Legion and the Falcon Kingdom all the way to here, a thousand kilometers away.
However, apart from the prisoners they picked up along the way, many of them didn't even have the chance to see an enemy with a gun.
Thinking carefully about the past month or two, all the offensive battles were basically monopolized by the Alliance's Skeleton Corps and Storm Corps.
Along the way, they helped to serve tea, pour water and deliver supplies, dig pits, fill lines and clean up the battlefield, and then the opponent suddenly surrendered while fighting.
Isn't this battle too easy?
Being a dog of the Alliance is so comfortable, which is beyond the imagination of these vassal officers.
The mole then looked at the other players who stretched their necks and looked forward curiously, and shouted in Mandarin.
"Brothers, take turns to go offline to eat, and those who have nothing to do can log in later."
The newbie following the tank asked with a yawn.
"Are there any activities tonight?"
"Didn't the other side surrender?"
"You don't understand this. The legion is in such a hurry to escape, it's impossible for them to take all the supplies with them, right?" Mole said with a grin, "The agreement negotiated by the manager only stipulates that we let them go, but it doesn't say that we can't go to their homes before retreating."
The ceasefire agreement will take two days to negotiate, right?
I guess there won't be much supplies and ammunition to pick up, and the pots and pans have been almost blown up by Mosquito Brother, but the weapons and artillery and anti-aircraft guns of various calibers left behind can be taken away, right?
And those spherical armored turrets are all made of armored steel.
The Alliance wants to build ships in Tianshui and carry out large-scale production in Xizhou City. There are many places that use alloys, and even selling scrap iron can make a lot of money.
As for shipping it back, don't worry.
The entire army of the Lion Kingdom is used as a logistics force by the Alliance. With tens of thousands of people helping, it can be emptied even if it moves a little bit like an ant moving house!
The newbies were stunned when they heard this.
"What the hell?! This works?"
"This is too inhumane!"
"What else?" Looking at the newbies who were making a fuss, Yin Lena laughed and teased, "How do you think we got all the tanks and cannons?"
The Elf King Fugui, who was sitting in the driver's seat, said with a chuckle.
"I'll go back and drive a transport truck over!"
The armored truck was carrying a heavy machine gun and ammunition, and it couldn't drag much stuff. It was definitely not as efficient as a professional truck in collecting money.
The mole waved his hand directly.
"Don't just use the truck, bring the fellow villagers of the Lion Kingdom too, so that they don't need to bring guns, just go to the legion's position to pick up the goods!"
The Elf King Fugui smiled.
"Okay!"
...
Fort Horn.
Less than two hours after Griffin's death, the entire fortress covering several square kilometers was deserted.
Under the order of the acting commander, General Alec, the 50,000 troops unloaded their weapons and retreated to the riverbank in the north along the route designated by the alliance.
More than 50,000 clone soldiers will be left there. After all, it is not economical to bring them back with only a few years of life. It is better to help the governor with construction. After death, they can be used as fertilizer, which is also a good use of them.
Hundreds of Willant officers and thousands of non-commissioned officers will return to Triumph City with the airship after the ceasefire agreement takes effect.
Hearing that they can finally go home, almost every tired face is full of joy.
At the beginning, they came to the East to seek treasures, glory and adventure under the call of Griffin and the officers of the Eastward Expansion Party.
However, after coming here, they found that this place is not an amusement park full of gold as they imagined.
As for non-Willant officers and non-commissioned officers, such as those who were promoted to regular organizations due to special circumstances, they can voluntarily choose to stay or leave.
If they choose to stay, they will receive a severance pay ranging from 1,000 to 50,000 dinars according to their military rank, which is the usual practice.
But most people will choose to go to Triumph City.
Although the society of the Willant people is full of xenophobia, it is not so extreme in Triumph City.
Take slaves who have a lower status than foreigners as an example. Only in Triumph City will the law of "not arbitrarily executing slaves" and "protecting the right to life and health of slaves" be strictly enforced. Violators will be fined heavily, and may even be sentenced to prison in serious cases.
In the distant borders or the manors of noble lords, the treatment of slaves is not much better than that of cattle and sheep. Most governors or consuls turn a blind eye to the lives of foreigners.
If you retire with severance pay and stay in the local area, who knows what will happen in the future.
What's more, after fighting with the hungry wolf-like army of the Alliance, almost all soldiers and officers have some psychological shadows.
They just want to leave this place of right and wrong.
But...
Not everyone was in such a hurry to leave.
At the entrance of the bunker in the center of Horn Castle, the Willant soldier standing in the observation post looked south and immediately crouched down and got into the bunker next to it.
They were Griffin's personal guards.
When they retreated before, General Alec ordered them to withdraw, but their commander Karlov refused to follow the order of the acting commander, so everyone stayed.
The soldier said nervously as he trotted to Karlov.
"Sir, the Alliance is here."
Karlov nodded, walked out of the bunker expressionlessly, and walked along the narrow concrete tunnel to the observation post above the bunker.
The gate in the south was blown open, and the roadblock in front of the gate was dragged to the side of the road by several soldiers. In the distance, trucks drove into Horn Castle.
Before the truck stopped, the excited Lion Kingdom soldiers jumped off the truck and ran towards the military camp and various defense zones not far away at the call of the commander, intending to plunder the spoils that the Weirant people had not taken away in time.
Karlov watched quietly as the tents in the distance were knocked down, the looted things were stuffed into the trucks, one fully loaded truck after another drove away, and another empty truck drove back, without any ripples in his heart.
Those people were like hyenas lying on lions...
The soldier standing aside took a deep breath and looked at Karlov.
"Sir, we..."
Karlov looked at those people coldly.
"Don't care about them."
Even if you want to care, you can't.
There are only a few hundred of them, and they are extremely short of ammunition. They can't get any benefits on the front battlefield, let alone being surrounded in the bunker.
The war is over.
He just wanted to keep Griffin's body...
Just as Karlov was watching the soldiers who were looting the spoils, the soldiers who were looting the spoils soon discovered him standing in the observation post.
A newbie ran to the side of the mole and reported.
"Boss! There are a few Weilant people in front!"
Didn't leave?
The mole raised his eyebrows.
"Take me there."
"Okay!"
Following the player to the front, the mole glanced at the Weilant standing in the observation post and introduced himself concisely.
"Captain of the Skeleton Corps, Mole."
Karov said slowly.
"General Griffin's personal guard, Karlov."
"Why don't you leave?" The mole looked at the bunker with the door closed and asked with a smile, "Or is there some treasure inside?"
Karov was silent for a while, and finally chose to tell the truth.
"General Alec took all the documents away, and burned those that couldn't be taken away... There's nothing here, only the body of my late commander, and we were ordered to send him off for the last time."
"Oh."
Mole lost interest.
Come to think of it.
Such a long time is enough to take away the really important things. As long as the acting commander is not mentally retarded, it is impossible for him to forget the things in the bunker.
As for Griffin's body.
The survivors of Luoxia Province may want to drag this guy out and whip his corpse, but he is not a survivor of Luoxia Province, just a player. He does not have such a deep sense of substitution for the suffering of the aftermath of the war, and he is even less interested in a corpse.
But out of curiosity, he still asked casually.
"Oh, how did he die?"
"Stroke."
"Tsk, forget it if you don't want to say it," Mole shrugged his shoulders and said with a smile, "By the way, everything here belongs to us, do you have any objection?"
Karov nodded silently.
"No problem."
Dealing with spoils, deciding the fate of losers, and showing mercy and tolerance are all privileges of the victors. They are just exercising their power.
Mole stared at the closed iron door for a few seconds, feeling a little regretful.
When the Alliance launched its first military operation against Luoxia Province, the command transferred the Iron Heart to the City of Plenty and sent the Skeleton Corps to march towards the Lost Valley.
At that critical juncture, Griffin predicted that the Alliance had learned of their intelligence and used the same trick to gather all armored forces to set up an ambush in the east of the Lost Valley.
Even now, thinking back, Mole has to admire that guy. He is simply a genius.
His Skeleton Corps was caught off guard at the time.
If it weren't for the various variables outside the battlefield, if it weren't for the Enterprise's support for the Alliance's No. 60 electromagnetic cannon, that guy's plan might have succeeded.
In fact, earlier, if it weren't for the intelligence collected by Comrade Pangolin when he passed by Camp 530, the Lion Kingdom might not have survived until the Alliance completed its war preparations.
Even though the plan failed to meet expectations again and again, that guy still made timely remedies until the last moment of his life.
Even if we don't look at the old accounts of the Bone Chewing Tribe, the Alliance almost fell into the hands of this boss at least twice.
Moving his eyes away from the iron gate, the Mole looked at Karlov standing in the observation post.
"Apart from the destruction of the war, your commander was an impressive opponent... I'm glad he died, and it's a pity that he didn't die at our hands."
Karlov's expression was slightly touched, and his Adam's apple moved, but he said nothing, just nodded silently to express his gratitude, and then turned and walked back to the bunker.
At the same time, Falcon City.
After a long wait, Cohen, who was sitting in a room in the castle, finally received a call from the acting commander General Alec.
"...We have arrived at Far West City. Damn, this place is too poor." Alec's voice was full of joy.
Although he could only be the commander for a few days, he was able to get a taste of commanding thousands of troops. When he was under Griffin before, he was only a chores as an adjutant, and was often caught between subordinate officers and superiors.
These days are finally over.
"Have you all withdrawn?"
"Withdrawn...Except for Griffin's guards, they insisted on staying. I couldn't persuade them, so I let them go."
Cohen nodded.
Griffin's direct line doesn't need him to worry about it. If they want to die, then let them go.
"You have to stay there for a while. After the ceasefire agreement takes effect, Captain Adria will take you home."
Alec said with a smile.
"Great."
After the voice fell, both sides suddenly fell silent, as if they felt that the other side had something to say and planned to wait for the other side to speak first.
But the silence didn't last long.
Seeing that the Governor hadn't spoken yet, Alec took the initiative to ask.
"Sir... did we lose?"
Cohen answered concisely.
"The ceasefire negotiations do not include this part. You will bring victory back to Triumph City."
Both sides will declare themselves winners.
This is an explanation to their own people.
Hearing the answer he wanted to hear, Alec breathed a sigh of relief.
"I know."
As he and a group of ten thousand captains guessed, the Legion would not surrender to the Enterprise, let alone surrender to the Alliance.
The Enterprise would not be naive to think that this victory alone was enough to mean that the military strength of the East Coast had surpassed the West Coast.
As for those wastelanders who didn't know how to live or die, they probably wanted to take this opportunity to get some benefits. Although it was naive and ridiculous, problems that could be solved by buying benefits were not problems. He didn't have to get entangled with them for a little bit of profit.
Those barbarians can take what they want.
He also made some concessions as much as possible within the scope of his power, such as tacitly approving the alliance's plunder of vassal states, transferring the supplies originally sent to Griffin to them, and tacitly approving their occupation of Biester Town, etc.
In exchange, the alliance will return a series of prisoners including General McLen and Soft, and tacitly allow the defenders of Horn Castle to lay down their weapons and withdraw from the position with dignity.
Those rescued prisoners, rescued officers, and various factions in Triumph City will thank him.
Not only did he help them preserve their strength, but he also helped them achieve the "victory" that they did not achieve on the battlefield.
They will thank him.
This will be a huge political resource.
"By the way, Governor." Suddenly remembering something, Alec spoke on the phone.
Cohen said casually.
"Anything else?"
Alec hesitated and reported truthfully.
"Griffin's body was not found... His cause of death is a bit strange."
Cohen said indifferently.
"Let him do whatever he wants. Whoever wants to collect his body can do it. It doesn't matter."
I had already reminded Joseph not to expect to save that guy, but he didn't expect that guy to die.
Although this ending is not bad.
A mere three-star captain wants to kidnap the entire Triumph City. These officers who climbed up from the bottom are really bold.
Is this what it means to be barefoot and not afraid of wearing shoes?
If he is still alive, he will definitely not have a good time when he returns. If he dies outside, he may become a tragic hero.
Maybe it was the advice of the commander of the Eastern Legion.
Cohen laughed and shook his head, and hung up the phone casually, as if he had finished a boring trivial matter.
...
The next day.
The meeting hall of the Falcon City Castle was crowded with people.
A few days ago, it was still deserted here. Each party only sent a few representatives here, and only those few people spoke.
Now, the originally spacious conference table suddenly seemed a little crowded.
First of all, on the side of the legion, in addition to the governor appointed by Triumph City, the five-star captain Cohen, the new commander-in-chief Joseph, and the captain of the Judge Adria, almost all officers above the rank of captain who were not captured attended this meeting.
On the side of the enterprise, in addition to Deputy Minister Wu of the General Management Department, a large number of his subordinates and dispatched employees from the five major groups also came.
Including Yi Chuan of Silver Wing Group, Yun You of Endpoint Group, Wu Mu of Changge Group, Li Changkong of Ideal Group, and two androids of Kangmao Group.
In addition to these people of status, Chu Guang also saw several reporters from Ideal City.
Among them was the Zhiyuan Newspaper, which he knew, and some media that he had no impression of. He just felt that the logos on their equipment looked familiar, probably because they had interviewed in the Dawn City area before.
Considering the historical significance of this ceasefire negotiation and the fact that the photos and images would be played repeatedly many times, Chu Guang paid attention to his facial expression management from the moment he entered the conference room.
As he expected, almost all the cameras focused on him from the moment he entered the conference room.
"The manager of Shelter No. 404 and the Alliance!" The reporter from the Futurist Newspaper lowered his voice and said excitedly, "I heard that he is from the pre-war era."
"Where did you hear that?" The reporter from the All-Knowing Broadcasting Company cast a surprised look at her.
"During the interview in Dawn City!"
"But he looks only in his twenties."
"What's the matter? Aren't the managers of the shelters old popsicles who have been frozen and dormant until now? Maybe he is an old monster who has lived for more than two hundred years!"
The reporters from Ideal City kept chattering.
Although it didn't seem abrupt in such a noisy occasion, it still made Li Ke, who was sitting at the conference table, feel annoyed.
Especially when those reporters tried to interview him.
Fortunately, there were no such annoying guys in the Wandering Swamp, otherwise it might be over one day... These guys who were peeking out were really harder to guard against than the mutant crocodiles in the swamp.
There were also a few soldiers from the Alliance, and the way they looked at him always made him feel strange... How to describe it, it was like the natives of the Golden Lizard Kingdom saw gold coins.
Looking at Chu Guang who was sitting aside, Li Ke tilted his head towards him and asked in a low voice.
"...Why did so many people come suddenly?"
"After all, it's a moment to witness history. Isn't it normal to come and take a group photo?" Chu Guang smiled, but suddenly thought that his friends in the north might misunderstand him, so he politely added, "Of course, I'm talking about those reporters."
Li Ke coughed.
"You don't need to emphasize this one sentence——"
"Quiet, everyone please be quiet."
At this time, Wu Changnian, the corporate representative who had finally signed his name, clapped his hands, signaling the chattering reporters and the nobles of the Falcon Kingdom to be quiet.
When the meeting room was a little quieter.
He spoke in a steady voice.
"Thank you for your support and cooperation. Today's peace is inseparable from your efforts."
"The contract that has lasted for a century and a half will continue. This declining world does not need more wars. In the face of the crisis of life and death, we should work together to face common threats and explore a common future..."
He spoke for about ten minutes.
Seeing the representatives of the legion yawning, Wu Changnian stopped talking and handed the three signed agreements in his hand to his subordinates beside him, who handed them to the Willant officer standing next to the conference table.
"So much nonsense."
Cohen squinted his lips, picked up the pen and signed his name on the three agreements, then pushed forward and slid directly in front of Chu Guang across the negotiation table.
The content of the agreement has been confirmed repeatedly.
The final signature is just a formality.
He just wants to end this boring ceremony quickly, deal with the mess left by the previous commander-in-chief, and then take over the Falcon Kingdom from the Alliance.
After all...
Even if they are not defeated in name, the content of the agreement is not glorious for the Legion.
Most of the "substantial benefits" belonging to the Alliance are outside this piece of paper, and Chu Guang just glanced at the agreement.
In addition to a series of clauses including restrictions on garrisons and withdrawal of troops by all parties, there are only three important clauses on this black and white document for the Alliance.
One is that the Legion and the Falcon Kingdom accept an unconditional ceasefire.
The other is that the Iron Heart and Bicester, which originally belonged to the Legion, will be owned by the Alliance according to the principle of "maintaining the status quo".
As for the last one, it is about Shelter No. 0.
The Legion, the Enterprise, and the Alliance will each send one or two representatives to investigate, and the Academy, as the observer, will also send a technician to assist.
After confirming that the content of the agreement is correct, Chu Guang signed his name below the ceasefire agreement under the gaze of all participants.
According to convention, he should say something on this important occasion.
But he is not used to long speeches.
Putting down the pen in his hand, Chu Guang looked at the players standing beside him, such as Lao Bai, Edgepad, Fountain Commander, etc., and nodded with a smile.
"It's an honor to witness this moment with you."
"This is our victory!"