“You're finally here, Chief . Now we can have a good drink before getting some sleep . Do you have any idea how worried I have been? I couldn't even sleep with both eyes closed! 1st Folk can finally rest…”

While Berklin held a welcoming parade at the city entrance and made it seem like everything was under control, he started complaining the moment they reached folk headquarters . The surprise attack had been a great success, but occupying the city and waiting for 2nd Folk had severely taxed them .

They were deep in enemy territory . This was an enemy capital, the seat of an enemy's power, their heartland . It was only natural that the people's hatred for Aueras was at its strongest here . The denizens were mostly Nasrians and monarchists . They had also been the war's main benefactors .

There were more than 110 thousand registered households in Polyvisia . Even if most of them were mere peasants, they had complicated relations with the Nasrian n.o.bility . The males in every household were either part of the military or administration, or served some n.o.ble in running their businesses . They were the loyal elites of the kingdom .

The Polyvisites were extremely loyal to Nasri VII and supportive of the war against Aueras . They hoped to also reap some benefits once their nemesis was finally defeated . There were white flower rings hanging from many houses in the city, which signalled that one of their male members was out fighting in the war .

The native population numbered to around 600 thousand . Coupled with the outsiders who were there on business and other affairs, Polyvisia had more than 800 thousand people . It was only slightly shy of the one million in the Aueran capital and claimed the place as the second-largest city in Eastern Freia . It enjoyed great prosperity and development in the fields of business and industry .

Berklin's 1st Folk was quite lucky in that they attacked the city on the monthly three-day break of the Nasrian royal guard . During that time, soldiers returned home to spend time with their families . As there was only a folk of troops left guarding Polyvisia, they were completely overwhelmed by Thundercrash 1st Folk .

Not a single Nasrian royal, n.o.ble or official managed to escape Berklin's soldiers due to how swift it all was . The citizens didn't even manage to react before the city got taken over . By the time they were aware of it, the officials who could fan the flames of resistance had been captured . Without a leader, there was no resistance .

Berklin was particularly good at taking the initiative . He'd scattered the garrison outside the city while the city had yet to stabilise . Had he not, the local garrison would've encircled the city and started a long fight for the capital .

Most of the men had returned to their homes in the surrounding towns on leave . Some Nasrian n.o.bles had gone to their manors as well . The moment they heard of the city's fall, they recalled all the men on leave and started planning their retake of the city .

Berklin took action the moment he heard about it . He sent three combat lines to the towns in question and ma.s.sacred the mustering soldiers .

Berklin admitted it had been quite risky to leave less than a line in Polyvisia . 1st Folk lost nearly three thousand men, almost a tribe, in taking Polyvisia . They were prepared to take Nasri VII hostage to stop the civilians from rebelling . If they wanted to save their king so bad, all they would get was his corpse . 1st Folk would simply perish together with them .

Fortunately, the civilians of the royal capital didn't do much as the three lines were clearing out the towns outside . They returned with huge amounts of supplies too, allowing the folk to survive that trying time . However, the following month was by no means relaxing . The citizens were completely uncooperative . Much pressure was resting on their backs from having to watch the captured royals, n.o.bles and 30 thousand plus royal guard troops .

There was also the defence of Polyvisia to worry about . Berklin was constantly on edge about a nasty surprise . He couldn't wait for the rest of the men to arrive as soon as possible to divide the burden, especially with the resistance in the nearby towns not completely wiped out . They often ambushed 1st Folk's light-cavalry patrol tents . They had lost 400 men already, much to Berklin's anger, but he didn't get back at them in fear of inciting a rebellion .

“Just look . All twelve towns within 50 kilometres of the city have been labelled no-go zones . Our troops will always be ambushed by hidden shooters, and we have no way of dealing with them because they turn into civilians the moment they drop their weapons . If we enter the towns for a large-scale search, we'll need a line of troops at least . Otherwise, the sheer numbers of those civilians are hard for us to suppress,” Berklin said with a map around Polyvisia laid out .

“1st Folk only has three and a half lines of troops remaining . One line guards the walls, one line watches the prisoners, and the other keeps the business sector in Polyvisia under control . There are two more tribes in charge of defending the palace where the Nasrian royals, n.o.bles and officials are kept . We can absolutely not let anyone know about that . The remaining two thousand plus injured are in the field hospital, so we have no more men to send out . We can only let the forces from the twelve towns slowly sneak up on us . Our scouts and patrol units can only observe from outside the towns,” he said with much frustration .

Claude recalled the two towns he pa.s.sed through . They matched more or less what Berklin described . The townsfolk that Thundercrash chased out of their houses regarded Thundercrash's troops with hate-filled glares . It was not a big deal, however . The guard tribe wanted to clear out the houses as Claude was making his way through for security reasons . They didn't use that chance to pilfer anything from the houses .

Yet, the townsfolk didn't shy away from glaring at the troops coldly as they pa.s.sed at all . Berklin really didn't have any more men to send in to crush the resistance forces, allowing the hostile fighting spirit of the civilians to continue to grow . It wasn't a good trend and had to be stamped out firmly .

Sometimes, mercy alone wasn't enough to get the enemy to lay down their weapons . It might even exacerbate the situation . Nasri, being Aueras' nemesis, harboured the most anti-Aueran sentiment, especially in the area around Polyvisia . Perhaps only blood and iron was sufficient to remind the common folk in whose hands their fates rested .

“Rest for two days and send more scout tents to surround those twelve towns . Cut off their communications with each other and only let people pa.s.s after strict checks only if they have guarantors . Two days later, 2nd Folk will deploy and send one tribe each to encircle each of those towns . The other line of troops will search the houses in those towns and arrest everyone in households owning firearms . n.o.bles and officers will have their properties confiscated, and anyone, regardless of age or gender, is to be killed if they resist . Anyone hostile to us shall be erased!”

Claude gave his first order in Polyvisia coldly . Unlike the other officers of headquarters, he was aware of the kind of b.l.o.o.d.y conflict his order would trigger . Troops were not led by the kind, and one had to be merciless towards one's enemies . Only a commander of such calibre was worthy of the troops' trust . It wouldn't do to have a commander who would let his troops be sacrificed for humanitarian gestures towards the enemy .

Thundercrash's two folks gathering at Polyvisia immediately caused tensions to rise . Wolfang reigned the night . Claude didn't let them enter the towns . Instead, he fielded them outside . As expected, they captured more than ten informants in the last ten nights . Some violent interrogation quickly cracked them and they revealed all their secrets .

The operation started the next day and all twelve towns were surrounded . 2nd Folk's 5th Line entered the town of Lodeway to start their search and encountered an ambush less than half an hour in, followed by a complete rebellion . Countless civilians charged at the troops of 5th Line with blades . Dyavid merely spat the gra.s.s stalk he was chewing and gave the order to fire .

The 70 thousand citizens of Lodeway swore to fight to their deaths . Two days later, all they got were broken families . Not a single one of them managed to kill an enemy with their bladed weapons . They were all mercilessly felled by bullets . Even those hiding within houses weren't spared . 5th Line used the old cannons they got from the spoils in Polyvisia and blasted the houses apart before dropping mortars above them to clear them out .

Apart from the 10 thousand women, elderly and children who surrendered, the rest of the town was flattened . In an attempt to destroy evidence, the invaders set the town on fire and let it burn for three days and nights . They left with about a hundred carriages filled with supplies and more than ten thousand civilian captives .

Next came the town of Kozinbak . They prepared themselves by building barricades and self-made weapons, engaging immediately the moment 5th Line arrived . However, they were completely no match; none of them could take the bombardment from cannons and mortars, as well as the rain of bullets . As the brave died off, the rest of the civilian resistance crumbled .

Kozinbak's resistance was like loud thunder without rain . It caused a large commotion, but ended quickly without results, unlike the citizens of Lodeway who managed to resist for two days . Kozinbak couldn't even last six hours . The rest quickly dropped their weapons to surrender after the obstinate, brave ones died off, giving Thundercrash another 40 thousand captives .

Like before, 5th Line set the town on fire after searching it through, reducing it to ashes . People were quite forgetful, after all . Claude wasn't going to let the townsfolk go . They would be held with the soldiers of the royal guard and transported to Loki Mountains on Nubissia to expand its population . They would make fine miners . Perhaps hard labour would make them a.s.similate easier as a citizen of the region and make them forget their hate for the kingdom .

Dyavid, on the other hand, questioned Claude skeptically . Why hadn't he cut their thighs and let them go like the rest? They wouldn't have to waste a line on guard duty had he done that .

Claude said the Nasrian royal guards were staunch loyalists, being one of the main beneficiaries of the Aueran invasion . They would not tolerate Nasri's extermination one bit . Other captives who were forcefully drafted, however, would instead be spared a dangerous life on the battlefield from the cut and be thankful for it . They wouldn't have to become cannon fodder anymore .

The troops of the royal guard, on the other hand, would still fight even after their whole leg was chopped off, to say nothing of a mere cut . s.h.i.+pping them to the region will be the end of the road for them . All they had to care about after that was looking after their families and working for their survival and livelihood .

By the same reasoning, the townsfolk would be given the same treatment . Even though their towns were suppressed, they would still try funny business if they were left alone and cause trouble around the capital nonstop . Thundercrash had to make an example of Lodeway and Kozinbak so that the citizens of the other towns knew what was coming for them if they dared resist .

The results spoke for themselves . Apart from the third town that resisted no more than two hours, none of the other towns objected to the troops' search . Even as the townsfolk who were found to be hiding guns were arrested, their neighbours had nothing to say about it, merely peeking through their closed doors and windows .

The submission of the third town completely quashed all signs of resistance in the remaining nine . The ruins of Lodeway and Kozinbak caused the next four towns to react like the third . Apart from a few dedicated resistance fighters, the rest of the townsfolk were meek, sitting ducks who watched Thundercrash tear through the resistance fighters . Those who wielded weapons to fight were publicly shot dead in the town square before their families were taken away .

Apart from a 30-percent tax levied on the towns that submitted, they were free to go about their daily business . Thundercrash only cared whether they were harbouring firearms and ignored normal bladed weapons or bows . They also didn't ransack the homes of the townsfolk .

Thundercrash's officers only captured the resistance fighters and their families . Fighters who surrendered on their own accord wouldn't be shot, but they would still be taken captive along with their families . The ones that dared fight back were given swift deaths .

The houses of the fighters and manors of the n.o.bles and local officials were searched and their property was confiscated . Even the empty houses had to be sealed off to be dealt with later . The townsfolk weren't allowed to enter and occupy them .

By the time they reached the last three towns, the three lines were acting together . Much to many's surprise, the townsfolk had been well prepared to welcome the troops in . They had done everything beforehand, having tied up the fighters themselves and gathering them and their families in the town square .

The sight of the pile of weapons in the square, the curses of the fighters and the cries of their families widened Dyavid's horizons for good .

A few elders of the town humbly said that their townsfolk hadn't caused any trouble and only wanted to live in peace . They were doing the fighters a mercy by tying them up . At least, they wouldn't be shot dead for resisting and wouldn't involve other innocent civilians .

Just like that, the whole area around the royal capital fell under the control of Thundercrash . Claude then gave the order for a large-scale search in Polyvisia that lasted half a month . As sector after sector of residences were searched through, gunshots and explosions rang out nonstop . Some 20 thousand insurgents were killed and around 200 thousand of their families, the soldiers, n.o.bles and officials were separated into prison camps .

Thundercrash finally gained true control over Polyvisia and rid themselves of lingering troubles . The sweep operations killed up to 100 thousand insurgents, earning Claude the moniker of Butcher of Polyvisia .

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