Chapter 455: Their soldiers didn’t die at the hands of the enemy but in the hands of their own people!
At this moment, the Seven Nations Alliance had already spent two days. Two days might not seem long, and the straw huts hadn’t encountered any issues, but the heating supplies faced a significant challenge.
Because they hadn’t anticipated this sudden extreme cold weather, their supplies of blankets, clothing, charcoal, and other heating materials were very inadequate. So, they had to fight for warmth.
“This cursed weather is freezing us! I want this set of cotton clothes, take it off quickly!”
“This was a gift from my mother; I won’t give it to you!”
“Are you daring to refuse? Watch out; I’ll smack you!”
“Quick, light up the charcoal; I’m freezing!”
“This charcoal was brought by our nation, you don’t have the right to use it!”
“What do you mean ‘your nation’? We’re all part of the alliance, one big family. Are you trying to cause division?”
“This charcoal is limited, and even if the sky breaks, we won’t give it to you!”
“Hey, look at my temper!”
In this way, the soldiers of the Seven Nations were divided into seven factions and began fighting. Some wanted to snatch blankets, others wanted to grab clothes, and some were after charcoal and wood – in short, anything that could provide warmth was up for grabs, and the entire army was in chaos. This situation quickly alarmed the leaders of the Seven Nations.
They came over with stern faces and shouted, “Stop! All of you, stop! What’s this commotion? We know it’s cold, and you need material for warmth, but you can’t fight! We are the alliance now; we’re one family, and we should get along peacefully! Anyone who argues will be dealt with by military law!”
Under the restraint of the seven generals, the riot was temporarily suppressed. However, they knew that if they didn’t solve this cold weather problem, there would be more fights in the future, which wouldn’t be good for management.
So, they burned all the cold-resistant materials and distributed them centrally. They lit charcoal in every house and had people rotate in and out for warmth every half hour. As for blankets and clothing, they were given to those with weaker constitutions or those who were injured first.
It seemed fair and just and received the full support of the entire army. However, it couldn’t be sustained for even a day.
Because the outside was just too cold. After a day of rotation, many people hadn’t had their turn and were freezing outside.
No one wanted to freeze to death, so the fighting resumed.
This time it was even fiercer, and many people were killed. The leaders of the Seven Nations had to intervene once again and redistribute everything.
This time, they distributed resources based on official ranks, achievements, and strength, so those higher in rank received more. As a result, the lower-ranking soldiers received very little. They felt very unfair and didn’t want to wait to die, so they rebelled again, on a larger scale.
After resolving the conflicts for the third time, the Seven Nations’ leaders tried to redistribute resources, but it was futile. With limited resources, there were always those who couldn’t benefit, and they had to fight to survive.
In just these two days, the entire alliance had riots on at least five occasions, with casualties reaching 50,000 to 60,000 people each time. Soldiers from different nations held immense grudges against each other, viewing each other as enemies, and their relationships reached an all-time low.
The leaders of the various nations were deeply troubled. Their soldiers weren’t dying at the hands of the enemy but at their own hands – what a predicament! Moreover, the Seven Nations Alliance was already a loose coalition, and though they got along peacefully during peacetime, they were now fighting among themselves, resulting in significant casualties. How could they cooperate in future battles?
However, an even more worrisome issue arose – their food supplies were running out. “It’s been four days already! The snow has been falling for four days, and our supplies have been cut off for four days. We’re rationing our food now! If the supplies don’t arrive in three more days, I’m afraid…”
The mood among the leaders grew heavy. As generals who led troops into battle, they knew the consequences of running out of food. While they could somewhat solve the heating problem, a food shortage would undoubtedly lead to mutiny.
With the Seven Nations’ soldiers already hostile towards each other, the thought of a food shortage was unimaginable.
At this moment, an old general clapped his hands and said, “Everyone should remain optimistic. It’s been snowing for four days already, quite a while. It should stop soon! I’ve already sent people to prepare, and as soon as the snow stops, we’ll bring the food here! Let’s endure for two more days!”
“Right now, that’s all we can do,” they sighed in relief.
In the following days, due to heating problems, the army faced more conflicts and suffered tens of thousands of casualties.
Luckily, the generals kept things from escalating further. However, the worrisome event they feared eventually happened. The heavy snow continued for six days, which meant their supply lines had been cut for six days.
For six days, no food had been delivered to their 2 million-strong army. “Why is the porridge so watery today? It’s mostly water with hardly any rice. How am I supposed to eat this?”
“Yeah, it’s so cold, freezing like hell, and you’re not feeding me properly. Are you trying to let me die on purpose?”
“Have you all been embezzling the rations? The rice is getting less every day.”
“Give me more rice porridge, or I won’t move!”
“Exactly! If you don’t feed us properly, we won’t budge!”
Under the menacing presence of the million-strong army, the quartermasters trembled. “Gentlemen, spare us. It’s not that we don’t want to feed you properly, but we’ve run out of food!”
The entire army erupted.
“What? No more food? Are you kidding me?”
“I came all the way here to fight, and you’re telling me there’s no food? Then what am I here for?”
“Surely you’ve been embezzling the supplies. Hand over the food!”
The quartermasters continued to plead, “Please, good sirs, we truly have no food left! It’s been snowing heavily for six days, and we’ve been cut off for six days. Where could there be any food left?”
At this point, it finally dawned on the soldiers. Six days of heavy snow, and they hadn’t seen a single supply wagon. How could food be transported under these conditions? Without food, wouldn’t they starve here?
So, the soldiers lost their composure, went mad, and began grabbing whatever remaining food they could find.
“I need food, or I’ll starve!”
“This is mine, all mine!”
“Get out of here! Don’t you dare steal my food!”
The million-strong army descended into chaos. Generals from various nations rushed over to calm the situation. “Soldiers, please don’t fight. We will have food! As soon as the snow stops, our supplies will come in! It’s been snowing heavily for six days, but it’s about to stop. Please be patient!”
Under the reassurances from their generals, the soldiers temporarily calmed down. They ate meager portions of rice porridge, enduring the day with the hope that when the snow stopped the next day, the food would arrive, and they wouldn’t go hungry.
However, the next day, the snow continued to fall heavily, and the cold persisted. Disheartened, the soldiers erupted in frustration once again, fighting for food. After losing tens of thousands of lives, they were calmed down by the generals once more.
On the third day, the heavy snowfall continued. Hopeless soldiers, unable to see a way out, fought again, resulting in the deaths of over a hundred thousand.
By the fourth day, they could no longer fight. Several days without food had left them weak, and many didn’t die of hunger but of freezing temperatures.
Note: I have already completed this novel until the end (c467). You can read them all for just $10 at the following link: https://faloomtl.com/series/i-am-a-corrupt-official-yet-they-say-i-am-a-loyal-minister/
For regular updates, a new chapter will be released every three days. I apologize for any inconvenience as I now have my own family 🙏
