Chapter 62 : Forced Suppression

Anyway, with the book finished, we were ready to leave.

There was no longer any reason to stay on the Great Grasslands.

“Well then, we’ll be heading back now. Please stay healthy, Chieftain.”

“Take care, son-in-law. Next time you visit, I hope you bring a grandchild or two. Maybe three, if possible?”

“Th-that… I’ll try.”

“If it’s too difficult, just send me a letter anytime. I’ll find a good tonic and send it to you.”

“…..”

We said our goodbyes to my father-in-law and mother-in-law.

When we first came, we were treated as honored guests. 

Now we were leaving as new members of the family, taking their child with us.

It was a bit burdensome that they were already wishing for grandchildren even though we hadn’t officially held a wedding yet.

I mean, we still have a mountain of work left—if she gets pregnant, it’s going to be a struggle.

Controlling the direction of the war and setting the world on fire will still take at least a year.

I know it sounds like an excuse coming from someone who didn’t even use protection, but in any case, we’re not planning for a second generation anytime soon.

“Kalia, take care too. Stay safe.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Oh, and the book you wrote, son-in-law, I’ll make good use of it. Was it called Juche ideology? I skimmed through it, and it seemed pretty solid.”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

It’s essentially a distilled essence of the doctrines and insights from the world’s greatest experts in dictatorship—plenty useful.

How to spread it among the nomads and gain their support is Mahdi’s job.

Since he’s the head of the organization, I trust he’ll manage well.

If he can’t even handle this level of propaganda, how can he run an intelligence network?

“We’ve got a long road ahead. Let’s get going, honey.”

Retracing the path we came on, we crossed two borders over the course of about three weeks.

From the Great Grasslands to Navre, and from Navre to Allein.

Due to the ongoing war, border security had tightened, and inspections had increased—but it wasn’t too difficult to pass through.

Thanks to our organization’s expertise in scattering agents everywhere and maintaining constant intelligence exchange.

“They should’ve come out to greet us by now…”

“Branch Leadeeer!! You’re finally here!!”

And so, when we finally arrived at the Allein branch, we were met with rather unexpected news.

“The uprising is spreading?”

What we thought was just an isolated disturbance within the Kram Empire had actually begun to spread to neighboring areas.

*****

“So, here’s what happened—”

This was the situation:In a village, unable to endure hunger and exploitation any longer, the people raided a military warehouse and stole food supplies.

The Kram Imperial Army responded by dispatching several suppression units to resolve the unrest, but they all failed.

The resistance from the rebel forces was too fierce, and the dispatched units had rock-bottom morale.

“They repeatedly sent forces from company to battalion level, but they all got wiped out. A large number of weapons were also captured.”

“By untrained civilians?”

“Surprisingly, yes.”

“What the hell are those guys…?”

Seeing the army defeated, the flames spread to nearby villages and farmlands.

“If those guys can do it, why can’t we?”—that was the mindset.

Since cruel exploitation was rampant everywhere, once the possibility appeared, everyone jumped in.

As a result, a significant portion of Kram Empire’s territory was now engulfed in flames that started from within.

The total area affected was equivalent to a sizable count’s domain.

“I figured it wouldn’t end quickly, but I didn’t expect it to turn out like this.”

“Why couldn’t the Kram Empire suppress it?”

“They underestimated it. The difference in desperation, and the quality of the troops, probably played a role too.”

I could more or less guess the reason things had ended up this way.

The peasants who had risen up likely had no way out.

They must’ve had it drilled into their heads that losing or getting caught even once meant death for all of them.

So, even if they lacked fighting power, they would’ve resisted with everything they had.

‘Their families’ lives were on the line, after all.’

And the suppression force?

No doubt they were pulled from rear-area security units—those undertrained, underworked guys who mostly just loafed around.

Even if they had better weapons and training, their mindset was rotten, so there’s no way they could fight properly.

It’s not like the 21st century where there’s a massive gap in combat ability between militias and military—so in a way, this outcome was inevitable.

“Ishmael, what do you think will happen now?”

“Hmm…”

At Kalia’s question about what would happen next, I paused briefly before giving a clear answer.

Since there were others around, I used the polite tone I hadn’t used in a while.

“It’s early April, right?”

“It still is.”

“Then this’ll be over soon. A massive suppression order will be issued within a month at most. One harsher than anything before.”

That drew surprised looks from Kalia and the other operatives.

“Why’s that? Isn’t there a chance they’ll try negotiation or compromise instead?”

“Highly unlikely. The momentum’s gotten too big.”

It’s a simple principle.

Minor disturbances or discontent might be met with tolerance or mercy.

But once it threatens the system itself, a leader’s response inevitably shifts to repression and violence.

Under normal circumstances, maybe they’d talk it out—but in a situation where the security of the state is on the line, compromise and unity stop being options.

“You said smaller units failed, right? Then this time, they’ll probably mobilize divisions or even more. They’ll pull frontline field armies and go all in on smashing everything.”

“That’ll disrupt food production, though.”

“I doubt they’ll care. To those in power, the stability of the state and control of the rear lines matter far more than a bit of grain.”

You can wipe out people and still be left with land and buildings.

Then later, you just send in vagrants or buy slaves to restore the productivity of the region.

As far as the rulers are concerned, it doesn’t matter who lives there, as long as the land yields food and labor.

So yeah, choosing short-term human losses for a high-intensity crackdown? 

Totally plausible.

“…..Then we’d better cancel the plan to send in operatives. We were going to try and spread the situation further from behind.”

“A wise decision.”

What’s the point of sending people into a place that’s about to become a scorched earth? 

That’s just a waste of money.

It’d be more efficient to document the atrocities that happen there and leak them to other countries.

That way, we might at least spark a media war and give the empire’s leadership a headache.

Well, not that such efforts would really lead to any.

Wait, hold on.

“Hey, Miss Kalia.”

“What is it, M— I mean, Mr. Ishmael?”

“Do you happen to know how the Kram Empire organizes its conscription system?”

At my question, Kalia tilted her head slightly but still answered properly.

“Basically, they recruit soldiers regionally and form units that way.”

Regional conscription–training–unit formation.

In other words, people from the same area remain in the same unit from enlistment to discharge.

It’s a system commonly used in times when long-distance travel isn’t easy. 

As far as I know, this kind of system was widespread even up to the 20th century.

“Do you happen to know where the conscripts from southeastern Kram are assigned?”

If so, then there must be a unit composed of soldiers from the same region where the current rebellion broke out.

“It’s possible. It might take some time to contact the local branch and find out. Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

“A simple way to screw over the Empire came to mind.”

If things unfold according to my plan and intention.

I might be able to drag not just the Kram Empire but also the global economy straight into the abyss.

*****

A few weeks later.

“The order’s been given. Crush them completely and burn it all to the ground!”

“Leave not a single one alive. Every last one of them is a traitor to His Imperial Majesty.”

“Fire the cannons until they’re glowing red! Pulverize everything, then send in the troops!”

Just as Ishmael predicted, a full-scale offensive was launched across all regions where uprisings had occurred.

The deployed force numbered around 13,000—Just short of two full divisions, all mobilized to strike down the rebels.

“The damn army’s coming in swarms!!”

“Everyone, stay calm and hold your ground! We have to protect this embankment, or they’ll reach the villa—Guhk!”

Ruthlessly, and without mercy.

Kram’s military waged what was almost an extermination campaign against its own citizens.

They blocked transportation routes,constructed encirclement lines,and launched relentless bombardments with well-prepared artillery.

“General, there’s an envoy holding up a white flag over there.”

“Shoot him. Headquarters ordered no prisoners.”

There were no offers of surrender or calls for negotiation.

Even when the rebels attempted to propose peace, they were ignored.

From the beginning, there was never any intent to accept it.

They continued their assaults and pressure as if wiping out remnants of an enemy nation.

When desperate civilians launched suicidal charges, they were mowed down by concentrated gunfire.

The sight was almost inhuman.

“A kid begged for his life and they shot him!”

“Monsters… those bastards aren’t even human!”

How could they be so cruel?

The reason was none other than their origin.

The troops deployed this time were all frontline units that had been fighting the Helvetian Republic.

They had just returned from combat, full of murderous intent.

They were also from different regions, and due to the feudal nature of society, interregional interaction was minimal.

In other words, there was no sense of camaraderie or empathy between the soldiers and the rebels.

They didn’t see them as fellow countrymen, but as traitors or enemies.

That’s why they could be so merciless.

It was the same logic behind the Tiananmen Massacre, where the local Beijing garrison refused to suppress the protests, so troops from other provinces were called in.

The less sense of kinship there is, the less hesitation there is toward brutality.

“The operation is proceeding smoothly. At this rate, we should be able to suppress all unrest within the month.”

“Finally, the country will be at peace again.”

The imperial military leadership was satisfied to see the uprisings being suppressed so quickly. 

They believed the source of their troubles had been eliminated.

*****

However, contrary to their expectations, the disappearance of the riots did not bring stability to the country.

“Those damned nobles killed my father and mother!!”

“It’s already hell starving every day, and now they come after our families too, you bastards!!”

Some soldiers, after hearing which regions had suffered damage, began to rebel.