frightfiction Chapter 10 That Country Buried in the Dust
Chapter 10 That Country Buried in the Dust
In the history of this world, there once existed a brilliant story, and Amelia was that distant story.
Alicia, Saines, Ange, and Alice sat together on a table covered with various notebooks and books. These stories and legends had been hidden beneath the dust of Red Ridge for hundreds of years, untouched by anyone.
"Amelia is a brilliant story, but its destruction is due to traitors, not gods."
Further research reveals that, according to past records, the gods were jealous of Amelias, so they confused their language and caused the people of Amelias to fight each other, leading to the collapse of the kingdom.
But if you look closely, you can find some clues in those subtle details.
In the year that Amelancia perished, divine punishment descended from the heavens, and a fireball destroyed Amelancia. Legend has it that the fireball fell from the sky with such power that it even shattered the barrier between the human world and hell, and it took more than ten days to recover.
Alice didn't see it as divine punishment at all; she guessed it was a huge meteorite that had destroyed the country's capital, and that no administrative body or leader was spared.
Finally, there was division and rebellion, with race becoming the most fundamental source of division, leading to wars between different races.
And Amelansi's grand vision faded into obscurity. The tricolor flag eventually became white, blue, and red, representing the three races of humans, elves, and demons.
Alice put down her flintlock pistol, which struck the wooden table with a heavy thud. The four of them finally pondered this future—Alice's petite figure stood by the table, describing a future to them.
The next morning, Alice stood in front of the palace, wearing a black gown with black stockings covering her legs beneath the crinoline. She slightly covered the hem of her dress, trying to appear calm, with a black-sheathed dagger at her waist.
"Ai... Alicia, do you really have to dress like this?"
Two little girls, one big and one small, were dressed in slightly playful dresses, but Alicia looked more mature than Alice—especially in a certain area.
A flag was held in her hand, a blue, white and red tricolor flag fluttering in the wind. Soldiers of the 1st Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division, fully armed, carrying flintlock rifles, marched in with trained steps.
Accompanied by a slightly off-key rendition of "La Marseillaise," the soldiers of the First Regiment marched in neat formation through the streets and into the palace complex, under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
"Halt! Right dress! Attention!"
"stand at attention!"
On one side of the procession was a wooden platform with dozens of people dressed as commoners sitting or standing on it. The civil service selection process had ultimately chosen positions, and these people who were originally commoners had all been given official posts.
With both the rear and the front lines prepared, what they lack now is spirit—the spirit that Amelansi represents, a past that people have gradually forgotten.
"Fellow countrymen! The nation is now in peril. A tyrant has usurped the throne, and the people are suffering terribly. Some of you have been to the capital. The usurper has committed countless atrocities. He allows his subordinates to plunder at will and turns the national army into his private army! He has corrupted social order!"
No need to look; Alicia's speech was created by Alice. Alice fully utilized her political and ideological abilities to create a speech aimed at the common people.
“In the past, there was a great nation, the great country we have built—Amelansi! Here, people spoke freely, all were united as one, and together they worked and created a great civilization! Now, it is time for us to pick up all that again!”
"From this moment forward, you, we, the common people, the poor—whoever you are, are entitled to social security from the government. From this moment forward, the land belongs to the people! Power belongs to the citizens! Long live Amelansi! Long live the people!"
With Alicia's speech, the royal flag fell and the tricolor flag rose for this land. Relying on self-reform, a new government began to operate, and at its core—the Amelia newspaper—it began to spread its values.
"Amelancy - The Ideal State of Society".
"After obtaining bread and milk, the dignity of being human becomes our greatest pursuit."
In a time when entertainment and knowledge were so underdeveloped, newspapers and newspaper readers became the most important social media channels. Within two weeks of the establishment of the Provisional Government of Amelansi, the taverns and restaurants of Red Ridge were full of newspaper readers hired by Alice. They received money from Alice to read newspapers to customers in the taverns, while also mixing in Alice's own private messages.
The development of the army was not neglected. Alice knew the importance of the army, and she personally designed a series of ceremonies for the army, including the enlistment ceremony, the departure ceremony, military songs, and military flags.
The ceremony of swearing an oath in front of the tricolor flag will truly mold soldiers into part of the national army—patriotism remains the strongest driving force in this era.
"Arise, brave children of our motherland! The glorious day has arrived!"
"The tyrant who is our enemy, his blood-stained banner has been raised!"
The army of thousands sang the tentatively chosen national anthem of Amerinsia, "La Marseillaise," a song born in the midst of struggle that had always been in Alice's mind. She stood under the rising tricolor flag and sang it aloud.
The soldiers saluted, a modern military salute accompanied by the national anthem. The military flag was red, with gold-embroidered numbers and words in the center, representing their unit designation.
"How about it? Don't you feel that the army is becoming more and more cohesive?"
The new standing army is no longer the non-professional army of the past, but a fully-professional modern army. Although they will also participate in labor, their primary duty is training and combat.
The 1st Infantry Division of the Amerinsky Revolutionary Army consisted of three brigades, each brigade had four regiments, each regiment had three battalions, and each battalion had a strength of about three hundred men.
Only the First Division was fully equipped and manned, which Alice knew was already quite an achievement. This division alone had more than 10,000 men. The Second Infantry Division only had one fully manned brigade, while the Second and Third Brigades were practically shell brigades, existing only on paper for the time being.
"However, Lady Alice... our army still lacks—real combat experience."
Alice nodded. That's for sure. Real combat is the ultimate test of a unit's competence.
“We have such an opportunity—today, a border hunter told me that an informant sent a message that Lord Kut is conscripting people to serve in his army, and he is putting his troops in front of us.”
Alice nodded. It was time.