I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 36 The Empire's Chrysanthemum

"Buzz!"

After capturing the caravan, John and his men set off again toward Stone Village.

Inside a jeep moving slowly in the center of the procession.

Feeling the vibrations from the moving vehicle, John, who was in a great mood, no longer felt his previous dissatisfaction.

At this moment, he was staring intently at his 'ally' Reddick beside him, noticing that the other man remained tense, sitting upright as if awaiting torture.

Considering the other party's state of mind, he felt that in this oppressive atmosphere, rashly probing topics related to the Allied forces would likely only arouse their suspicion.

Therefore, he decided to start with everyday conversation to help the other person relax.

Thinking of this, John immediately coughed twice, then said with a smile:

"Ahem, by the way, Mr. Reddick, during my patrol just now, I noticed that there were quite a few elderly people and children in your caravan, which is rather rare for a caravan. I wonder if they are your family members or members of the merchant guild?"

coming!

This damned demon really does want to interrogate me!

Redick's heart skipped a beat, but fortunately, he had anticipated this situation before getting into the car, so he calmly pulled out his original explanation:

"Ah, it's like this, Warrant Officer John. The old people and children in the caravan are actually some unfortunate people I took in along the way. I'm a kind person and can't stand seeing others suffer, so I thought I'd save as many as I could. That's why I took them into the caravan. I don't know them at all, so please don't misunderstand."

Kindness?

Would a cunning merchant from a kingdom suddenly have a change of heart? Especially when he's carrying a huge pile of gold?
Aren't you afraid that there might be bandits' informants inside who could wipe you all out?
Reddick, Reddick, how could you, as an Allied soldier, make such a basic tactical mistake?

That means you encountered friendly forces; otherwise, if it had been an Imperial interrogator, you probably would have immediately declared a restart.

Once I successfully switch jobs, if you don't send me a few pounds of gold, I'm not done with you!

Hearing this flawed answer, John couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.

At this point, he was 80% certain that Redick was not a businessman, but a true 'ally'.

However, he didn't press the matter on the surface. Instead, he proactively covered for the other party, immediately smiling and agreeing:

“Indeed, seeing these ordinary civilians being oppressed by the Allied forces, I sometimes feel sorry for them. However, I find it difficult to help them in the same way as you. Your kind character is truly admirable, and I should learn from you in this respect.”

“Lieutenant John, you flatter me. It’s all I should do. After all, doing good deeds helps to enhance the caravan’s reputation, which in turn makes our products more popular!”

After confirming that he had survived the devil's initial interrogation, Redick did not relax; instead, he became even more tense.

He knew that this was just the beginning of their interrogation; the real trouble was yet to come!
Sure enough, right after he said that, the damned imperial demon immediately raised an eyebrow and said to him:

"I see. Your wisdom is truly astonishing. No wonder you have accumulated so much wealth. I must remember this. Also, I am quite interested in the goods sold by your caravan. Would you mind if we talked about it?"

"There's nothing inconvenient about it, but I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. Our caravan sells common goods, like jewelry and other precious stones, and we also do some clothing business."

"If you're interested, I can have some clothes custom-made for you as a gift when you have time later. What do you think?"

"Really? Then I'll thank you in advance for your kindness."

John smiled slightly, then feigned distress and said:

"Unfortunately, as a soldier of the Empire, I can only wear this uniform normally and rarely have the opportunity to go out in civilian clothes. I have to say, this kind of restriction is indeed a bit unpleasant." "I have also fantasized that if I had not joined the army and had been an ordinary civilian, perhaps I could have been like you, Mr. Reddick, traveling with caravans around the world and experiencing the charm of other places, such as the Kingdom of Victoria."

"I heard that it's a tulip-growing region, and now it's springtime, the perfect time for tulips to bloom. Just imagining walking through that golden sea with your loved one is enough to make your heart flutter, isn't it?"

After saying that, John gave Reddock a meaningful look.

He felt that the implied meaning of his words was already quite clear.

As a citizen of the Empire, I yearn for the golden tulips of the Victorian Kingdom.

Besides its own symbolic meaning of friendship, the golden tulip is also the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Victoria.

Doesn't this mean that he actually intended to defect to the Allies?

Even if Redick was incredibly foolish, John felt that with his sincere gaze, the other person should be able to understand his meaning!

That's right, I'm an ally, I'm your ally, Reddick!

Quickly, respond to me with the code, and I promise to pledge my loyalty to the great Allies!

John looked at Reddick with expectant eyes, eagerly awaiting the Allied code phrase "Tulips are unique" to complete the handover.

Sure enough, I knew those damn imperial dogs were frighteningly vigilant!
Even though he had already passed the first hurdle, this guy still deliberately steered the conversation toward the Allied forces.

They're obviously trying to get me to admit whether I have any connections with the Allies!

Once I approve of that damned tulip, this devil will definitely assume that I intend to betray the empire, so that he can punish me!

That's utterly despicable and shameless, but luckily I'm intelligent enough not to fall into your trap of words, you imperial dog!
Redick cursed the Imperial dog inwardly for its treachery and cunning, but his mind raced, and he quickly replied:

"Indeed, the tulip fields are a beautiful sight, but that's relative. In my opinion, the Empire's chrysanthemums are also very good, or even far superior to Victoria's tulips."

"After all, the beauty of tulips is only superficial, a shallow and ignorant beauty, while the chrysanthemums of the Empire, while beautiful on the outside, also have profound connotations and rich sentiments, which deserve to be deeply remembered and loved by every citizen of the Empire."

"Therefore, in my opinion, I personally prefer the Empire's chrysanthemums to tulips."

After speaking, Reddick looked at John nervously, trying to judge from the other's reaction whether his answer had aroused the suspicion of this damned imperial dog.

This idiot still didn't understand what I meant!

Honestly, how did this guy become an Allied spy? His skills are ridiculously poor.

What a fool!
When John saw that the other party's answer was completely irrelevant, he immediately felt a little exasperated.

However, he also knew that no matter how useless Redick was, Redick was currently the only person he could pin his hopes on switching jobs.

He needs to communicate effectively with the other party to gain access to high-ranking Allied officials and complete his plan to switch sides.

So John suppressed his frustration and anger, and replied with a forced smile:

"Yes, I also really like the Empire's chrysanthemums, very, very much. It seems that you and I have a lot in common, Mr. Reddick. I think we must have a lot to talk about."

"However, let's put aside the topic of flowers for now and talk about something more practical, such as the business activities you plan to conduct during your trip to the Kingdom of Victoria, how about that?"

……

(End of this chapter)