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

Chapter 86 The Storm of Judgment Against Evil
"To date, the Hardman family has a history of over five hundred years in Longyan Territory, but outsiders only know about the Hardman family's more than five hundred years of honor. But what have we, as the people of the territory, received? Have you ever thought about that?"

"I know that there are definitely some who are awake among you, but there are many more who are unwilling to wake up, so I will give you the answer!"

"That is, under the damnedly high taxes imposed by the Golden Rose Kingdom, watching your loved ones starve to death in front of you, becoming slaves to Micah Hardman under the so-called glory he fabricated, losing your dignity as a human being at the feet of those henchmen who serve Micah Hardman, kneeling at their feet and begging for extra mercy."

“It has been like this ever since our ancestors followed the Hardman family to Dragon Eye Territory more than 500 years ago. In fact, if it weren’t for the arrival of the Imperial Army, our children and their children’s children would probably have continued like this because of the existence of the Hardman family and because of the kingdom’s damned decrees!”

"This is the final outcome we, as subjects, as commoners of the kingdom, can expect, isn't it?!"

"Oh!"

Siegfried slammed his fist heavily on the solid wooden table in front of him, then glared angrily at the crowd below, whose expressions had unconsciously become serious and earnest. With a wave of his right hand, he shouted:
"So tell me, can you accept this result?"

The tavern was silent, but soon a young man dressed as a worker suddenly stood up and mustered his courage to respond:

"……cannot!"

His actions seemed to trigger a chain reaction; the previously hesitant expressions on the faces of the crowd were instantly replaced by determination, and they all began to respond.
"cannot!"

"Yes, no, everyone, we cannot accept or condone this damned outcome!"

"Because we don't want to see our wives or husbands starve to death, we don't want to see our children become slaves of the Hardman family, and we don't want to see our parents continue to grovel before that damned, oppressive henchman of our kingdom!"

"That's right!"

Amidst the enthusiastic responses of the crowd, Siegfried's voice grew louder and more powerful, carrying even beyond the tavern. The inexplicable infectiousness in his tone caused many passing civilians to instinctively stop and pause. However, due to the presence of Prida and his group guarding the entrance, they dared not venture in, instead listening silently from the outside to the increasingly loud speech inside.

"As citizens, we have paid our sweat and blood for Longyan Territory and guarded the safety of this territory with our lives. We need to be respected and we deserve to be respected."

"But what did Micah Hardman, the lord appointed by the Allies, do?"

On the podium, Siegfried swung his right hand forward sharply, his tone filled with anger:
“He increases our taxes year by year, drives his henchmen to humiliate our families, tramples on our contributions to Longan Territory, and, with that damned aristocratic air, despises us commoners who have given everything for the development of the territory!”

"We are the ones who have made the most contributions and sacrifices for the kingdom, so why do we get this result?"

"Can everyone here agree to this?"

"cannot!"

"Yes, we absolutely will not agree, but even if we are unwilling to agree, what can we do about it?"

"I often think about this issue, and I even doubted at one point whether there was something wrong with my brain."

"I didn't find the real answer until I came into contact with the Imperial Army two days ago!"

Under the excited gazes of the crowd, Siegfried abruptly swept away all the scattered ornaments on the table, making his Imperial Army uniform more clearly visible. He then pointed to the Imperial Army insignia on his chest, his tone impassioned and inspiring:
"Yes, everyone, just two days ago, I was just a villager from Stone Village who had just been plundered by the Allied forces and whose family was about to starve to death due to lack of food." "After discovering that the Imperial Army had arrived, I thought that what awaited our Stone Village was the humiliation, plunder, and massacre as rumored, so at that time I was also prepared to fight the Imperial Army to the death."

"But what did those Imperial troops, whom the Allies called the Demon Legion, ultimately do?"

"Not only did they not loot our village, but they even provided us with food after learning that we were starving, which allowed our Shidong Village to survive."

"If such an Imperial army can be considered demons, then what should we call those 'great' Allies who, as Allies, instead plunder our villages? Demons among demons?"

"It was from that time that I began to realize that our enemy was never the empire, but those parasites who fabricated high-sounding reasons to oppress us, deceived us with lies, and fooled us like fools!"

“That parasite is Micah Hardman, one of those nobles in the kingdom who deserve to be hanged, and one of those allies who came from among us but turned around and plundered us!”

"These are our true enemies!"

"That's right!!"

The crowd was filled with excitement and fervor, and they all unconsciously clenched their hands.

After noticing the change in everyone's attitude, he realized that he had successfully moved everyone and conveyed the most important fighting spirit in Maslow's quotes.

Without further hesitation, he kicked over the table that was in his way, and then, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, strode towards the tavern entrance, where countless figures had gathered, and proclaimed in a passionate and impassioned tone:
“I never dared to speak these truths before the Empire’s army arrived, because I knew that at that time I was a subject of Micah Hardman, a commoner of that damned Golden Rose Kingdom.”

"If I dare to speak these truths frankly, then death will be the only thing waiting for me."

"But things are different now, yes, everyone, Longyan Territory, and even the entire Walden Territory, are different now."

“The once high and mighty Micah Hardman is now a prisoner in jail, and will soon be put on the gallows under the trial of the Imperial Army!”

“Those lackeys of Micah Hardman who used to oppress and humiliate us will pay the price with their lives in the Imperial Army’s campaign against their atrocities.”

"Those poor souls who were forced into slavery by the Hardman family due to the oppression of the Allied forces will also be freed from their shackles and reunited with their families in the glory of the Empire."

Looking at the crowd of residents staring at him with either fervor or curiosity, Siegfried took a deep breath, then raised his right fist and declared loudly:

"Everyone, a storm that is destined to sweep across the entire Longyan Territory is coming!"

"With the arrival of the Empire, with the arrival of the Seventh Imperial Air Force, and under the leadership of a great man named John Maslow."

"The storm that will bring about a complete transformation for the entire Longyan Territory is about to arrive!"

……

No inspiration today, a bit of writer's block. I feel like forcing myself to write will just lead to a lot of writing. I'll just post three chapters for now, one chapter owed. I'll take a nap early to recover my energy, and try to finish eight chapters tomorrow when I'm in better shape. Time for bed, that's all~
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(End of this chapter)