Chapter 17: The Weight of a Nation’s Story

The agony of being bedridden is something most people find unbearable.

Hu Junan’s world was confined to the ceiling above and the crooked-necked tree outside his window.

Even turning over required him to call out to Wǔ Xīyǔ.

Yet, as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining.

While he was incapacitated, Wǔ Xīyǔ seemingly channeled her life’s devotion, preparing a lavish spread of dishes from their meager household ingredients.

The table was laden with a balanced array of meats and vegetables, ensuring ample nutrition.

Beyond cooking for him, she diligently brewed his medicine as instructed by Qiu Ruoqu.

Before long, she approached, carrying a steaming bowl of herbal concoction.

“Here, Junan, it’s time for your medicine.”

“Alright.”

Hu Junan attempted to sit up, only for her to gently stop him.

“Don’t move…”

Carefully, she scooped a spoonful of the hot broth, blew on it softly, and then slowly brought it to his lips.

“Come on, open wide, ah—”

“No need, I can do it myself…”

Though he protested, his heart was secretly thrilled.

Most men, much like Hu Junan, often harbored feelings contrary to their spoken words.

“Be good. What if your condition worsens?”

“Alright then…”

It was his first time being fed by someone, and he swallowed nervously before opening his mouth wide for the broth.

“Ah—”

“Careful, it’s hot…”

“Mmm!!!”

In that instant, a wave of blissful sensation, like an electric current, surged through his entire body, from his tongue to his heart.

The irresistible taste lingered in his mouth.

Though it was medicine, he swore it tasted like candy.

After feeding him the medicine, Wǔ Xīyǔ brought over a plate of food, patiently feeding him bite by bite.

“Hehe, slowly, it’s all yours.”

“Aren’t you eating?”

“Don’t worry, I can only eat cherries at night, otherwise my stomach will be upset the next day.”

“Just fruit? Can that really sustain you through the night?”

“It’s enough,” Wǔ Xīyǔ nodded with a gentle smile.

“Huihua girls of the Huihua people aren’t allowed to eat at night before they get married.

At most, they can have some cherries to fill their stomachs, or they’ll be ridiculed for losing their figure.”

“It sounds quite strict to be a girl in your country…”

“Is it really?”

“By the way,” Hu Junan’s gaze unconsciously drifted away as he spoke, though he wasn’t sure why.

“Marriage, that’s still a long way off for you, isn’t it?”

“Probably around the time of the Bountiful Harvest Festival, Father will likely arrange something for me.”

“This… your circumstances aren’t bad. Do you need to rush so much?”

“My circumstances aren’t bad?” Wǔ Xīyǔ blinked.

“Our family doesn’t have much money, Mother passed away early, and Father is just an ordinary villager.

Even marrying into the village chief’s family would be considered marrying up, wouldn’t it?”

“Do you want to marry into a wealthy family?”

“Hmm…” Wǔ Xīyǔ tapped her chin, lost in thought.

“If Father wishes it, I might consider it.

After all, it hasn’t been easy for him to raise me all these years.”

“Don’t joke about it. Marriage is a momentous occasion, it should be the source of lifelong happiness.

If you compromise your feelings for others and don’t marry someone you love, even if you marry into a prominent family, it can only lead to unhappiness, can’t it?”

“What you say makes sense…”

Wǔ Xīyǔ remained silent, watching him with an inscrutable smile.

“What is it?”

“Nothing, I was just wondering if it would be possible for me to marry someone I love in the future, and find happiness just as you described.”

Seeing her ethereal beauty, Hu Junan’s face flushed scarlet, his heart pounding erratically.

“Actually, until now, I haven’t truly known what happiness feels like.

It always seems so distant, yet sometimes within reach, like a firefly in summer—visible but impossible to catch.”

“Everyone has their own happiness; it’s just that the right time to encounter it hasn’t arrived yet.

Though fireflies may slip through your fingers, the morning sun will never fail to rise.

Believe in your destiny, and you will surely grasp it in the future.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud bang echoed through the room.

The much-abused door was kicked open, and the intense murderous aura wafting in from outside made Hu Junan involuntarily shiver.

A furious Wǔ Língfēng strode in, turning his head to fix Hu Junan and Wǔ Xīyǔ with an arrogant gaze.

“Don’t misunderstand, I’m just here for my bedding.

Just pretend I don’t exist.”

The two of them remained silent in unison.

Wǔ Língfēng said no more, swiftly gathering his bedding and taking a pillow with him.

As he reached the door, he issued a warning.

“You brat, I’ll be sleeping in the yard outside.

If you dare to do anything strange… you know what will happen.”

With that, he stepped over the threshold and left the room without a backward glance.

Wǔ Xīyǔ puffed out her cheeks, complaining softly.

“Father is truly something, not an ounce of apology…”

“Heh heh…” Hu Junan mumbled under his breath.

“Strange things… I’d need the ability to do strange things first.”

***

Nightfall arrived as expected.

Hu Junan lay flat on his bed, drifting into a fitful sleep for a while before waking again not long after.

After several failed attempts to fall back asleep, he finally gave up struggling and turned his gaze towards the window.

The stars, like diamonds embedded in a black canvas, shimmered in concert.

Some were scattered, forming pairs, while others clustered together, outlining a wondrous galaxy.

Dark, heavy clouds occasionally drifted by, adding unique strokes of ink to the celestial painting.

Most remarkably, five moons hung in the night sky.

They varied in size, fullness, and brightness, each displaying a distinct color.

Like the final flourish on a masterpiece, they adorned the galaxy, perfectly presenting nature’s magnificent artwork to all who beheld it.

Bright gold, dark green, light brown, azure, scarlet… these moons were all beautiful, yet none possessed the familiar, pure white hue.

Lost in contemplation, he didn’t notice someone standing beside him until a soft voice reached his ears.

“Father said that the original night was utterly dark.

Then, the five Illusionary Gods of Alderaan gathered their divine power in the sky, transforming it into five moons.

Under the shroud of night, these moons were meant to dispel the darkness clinging to the land, silently bringing precious light to the mortal world.”

“Xiyu, you… why aren’t you asleep yet?

Can’t you sleep?”

Hu Junan’s face instantly flushed a deep red.

Wǔ Xīyǔ was half-crouching by his bed, her hands propping up her chin, her elbows resting on the bedframe, gazing with fascination at the night sky outside the window.

“When I was little, Father’s snoring always woke me up.

But over time, I grew accustomed to it.

Now, without his snoring, I can’t sleep.

Isn’t that strange?”

A hint of bitterness touched her smile.

“Don’t crouch; your legs will go numb.

If you can’t sleep, why don’t you sit on the bed and we can chat?”

“Mm.”

Wǔ Xīyǔ nodded obediently, then sat down unreservedly on the edge of the bed.

“What should we talk about?”

“I’ve told you so much about Donghua Nation that you’re probably tired of it.

How about you tell me about Huangxia?”

“Huangxia…”

For some reason, Wǔ Xīyǔ suddenly froze, her eyes becoming remarkably distant.

“What should I say?

Father told me that Huangxia was once a very prosperous nation, far more flourishing than what you see now.”

Until one day, a colossal entity arose on the Velfallen Continent, across the vast ocean.

Its name was the Corovia Empire.

Leveraging a sophisticated military system and centralized power, it unleashed astonishing might.

In less than half a year, it swept across the entire Velfallen Continent with irresistible force.

It not only expelled the royal family and numerous fief nobles of its sworn enemy, the Moor Kingdom, but also conquered countless smaller nations along the way, ultimately establishing a super-empire composed of Herman people.

That summer, the sea breeze swept across Alderaan’s coastline as usual.

Six thousand experienced sailors and thirty thousand fully armed soldiers embarked on three hundred warships laden with supplies, setting sail majestically from Calvinson Military Port on the western side of Velfallen.

Their objective was singular: to attack and destroy Jinghai City, the port city of the Huangxia Empire, far across the sea.

In a surprise attack, Jinghai City was engulfed in flames.

Upon landing, the first wave of Corovian troops not only demolished the city’s defenses but also effortlessly routed the unprepared eight hundred Huangxia defenders.

Initially, the sparks of war barely affected any nation on the Alderaan Continent.

The Noah Holy Kingdom, established by the Mans people in the central part of the continent, was celebrating its annual Sacred Year Festival.

The Agamend Tribal Alliance in the west was tirelessly dedicating its national resources to build a new northern fortress town.

Pope Shirley of the Delteros Holy Empire was receiving the defecting princes and ministers of the Moor Kingdom in the Grand Cathedral.

Meanwhile, the Batavian Republic and the Florenza City-State Alliance in the east were still squabbling over island ownership.

To instill deeper fear of the war in the Huihua people of the Huangxia Empire, George Dryson, the Corovian military commander at the time, publicly issued the infamous “Conquered Territories Military Mobilization and Management Act”:

1. All able-bodied demi-human males within occupied territories must provide unpaid logistical services to the Corovian army, assisting in the construction of various fortifications and resource extraction.

2. All fertile demi-human females must satisfy all demands of Herman soldiers without any resistance.

3. Aside from the two categories of demi-humans permitted to survive, all others shall be executed and buried in nearby fields, where fodder crops will be planted for military use.

Following the act’s promulgation, Jinghai City instantly transformed into a living hell.

The Corovian forces carried out inhumane extermination campaigns against the so-called demi-humans.

The atrocities committed in Jinghai struck the Alderaan nations like a stone dropped into a calm lake, shocking them all in an instant.

Days after Jinghai City fell, the timid Emperor, fearing Corovia’s relentless and vast military might, personally drafted a peace treaty.

He dispatched it to the Corovian Emperor, stating Huangxia’s desire to become a close ally of Corovia and offering annual tributes of vast amounts of gold, silver, and jewels, hoping to resolve the conflict peacefully.

However, this humiliating treaty traveled thousands of miles only to reach the devastated Jinghai City.

George, the arrogant Herman commander, tore up the letter and declared before the surviving Huihua people: “Your Emperor craves surrender!

He is a foolish and incompetent coward!

Victory will surely belong to Corovia!”

At the moment the treaty was torn, the Emperor finally realized that Corovia’s true objective was not merely to subjugate the Huangxia Empire, but to utterly annihilate it.

No peaceful means would suffice.

No one could stop this beast from continuing to tear apart the land that had nurtured generations of Huihua people with its bloodthirsty claws.

Soon after, Corovia’s army assembled in Jinghai City swelled to a hundred thousand troops.

Led by three commanders, they advanced in three columns towards the Huangxia Empire’s capital, Imperial Capital.

Along the way, the Corovian army swept through everything, destroying several major towns of the Huangxia Empire as if entering unoccupied territory, pushing deep into the outskirts of Imperial Capital.

To reverse the tide and rekindle hope, the Emperor decided to lead his army in a preemptive strike, intending to severely hit the vanguard that had arrived first.

However, the Corovian army was largely composed of seasoned veterans, whereas the Huangxia army had virtually no experienced soldiers, with many having only recently been conscripted commoners.

The disparity in strength between the two sides was glaringly apparent.

The Huangxia Empire and the Corovia Empire engaged in a fierce battle in the Purple Maple Forest, forty li east of Imperial Capital.

In this campaign, Huangxia deployed a total of three armies: the Capital Garrison Guard, the Coiling Dragon Northern Suppression Army, and the Tiger Vanguard Southern Protection Army.

They committed over fifty battalions, totaling thirty-five thousand men.

On the opposing side, George’s vanguard army was the primary force, supported by troops led by two Grand Dukes, deploying seventeen regiments in total, amounting to eighteen thousand men.

The Battle of Purple Maple Forest began at dawn and raged until the sunset dyed half the sky crimson.

Ultimately, the Huangxia Empire suffered over eighty percent casualties.

Not only were all the participating generals killed in action, but many civil officials who accompanied the campaign also perished or were severely wounded.

In contrast, the Corovia Empire lost only thirty percent of its forces.

After the defeat, the Emperor fled into Imperial Capital under the cover of the remaining troops.

He then escaped with his palace family under the cloak of night, heading straight for Heaven’s Decree City.

A day later, Commander George ordered an assault on Imperial Capital.

The Huangxia soldiers and civilians on the city walls fought desperately against the enemy, using the thick walls to repel the massive attack.

The battle raged from day to night, and then from night to day again.

Warriors and heroes from across the land, hearing the news, also rushed to reinforce Imperial Capital, swelling the number of defenders to over ten thousand at one point.

The Siege of Imperial Capital lasted for five days and four nights.

Leveraging their numerical and logistical superiority, the Corovian army marched triumphantly over the countless corpses of Huihua people, swaggering towards the symbolic Imperial Palace.

They planted their military banner atop the main hall, as if proclaiming to all: Imperial Capital has fallen.

Witnessing the Corovian army’s conquest of most of the Huangxia Empire’s territory, the surrounding nations of Alderaan began to grow uneasy.

They neither wished to be drawn into the war nor desired the complete disappearance of the war buffer zone.

Consequently, the Alderaan nations, led by the Delteros Holy Empire, began to unite.

They pressured the Corovian Emperor by mobilizing their land armies.

Furthermore, these nations repeatedly dispatched ships to approach the Velfallen coastline, warning them in no uncertain terms: “Halt! You must stop now; do not go too far.”

Under pressure from various fronts, the Corovian Emperor carefully weighed his options and decided to send a letter of surrender to Heaven’s Decree City, to the perpetually anxious Emperor.

The letter of surrender explicitly stated:

“To His Majesty Bai Heren, the sole esteemed leader of the Huangxia Empire.

His Majesty Lloyd II Gerald Clemonoske, the legitimate ruler of Velfallen and Emperor of Corovia, will only recognize this peace treaty as having long-term validity, and will mercifully order his armies to cease their advance into your esteemed nation, under the strict condition that all of the following terms are met:

One, the Emperor of Huangxia must pay war reparations of five million ingots of Huang silver.

One million ingots of Huang silver shall be paid immediately upon the signing of the treaty, with the remaining reparations to be settled over fifty years.

Two, the Emperor of Huangxia must acknowledge Corovia’s legitimate rule in Velfallen, maintain a unified political stance with Corovia, and annually present gifts befitting the esteemed Corovian Emperor.

Three, given Corovia’s interests in Alderaan, Huangxia must cede all occupied territories, from Crimson Sky Pass in the north to Jinghai City in the south, and west to Imperial Capital, as territory for Corovia’s vassal state, the Baylovys Kingdom.

Furthermore, the Emperor of Huangxia must acknowledge all legitimate rights and interests of the commander of this operation and first King of Baylovys, George Dryson, within the kingdom’s territory, respecting him and maintaining a unified political stance with him.

Four, without the permission of the Corovian Emperor, Huangxia is forbidden from establishing any political or military alliances with any other nation.

Five, should Huangxia violate any of the aforementioned stipulations, it shall automatically be deemed to have unilaterally abrogated the treaty, and Corovia will automatically declare war on Huangxia, with no room for negotiation.”

“This *expletive* can also be signed?!”

“There was no choice,” Wǔ Xīyǔ shook her head helplessly.

“Father said that all the standing armies had been wiped out.

Even gathering all the garrisons from various regions would only amount to about ten thousand men, no match for Corovia.”

“Sigh—”

“But you can rest assured,” Wǔ Xīyǔ forced a faint smile.

“Tianmen Village is on the Shore of Luohai, part of Huangxia’s southern territory.

You’ll hardly see any brutal Herman people there.”

Hu Junan spoke in a profound tone.

“Some things don’t cease to exist just because you don’t see them…”

“What do you mean?”

“It means nothing,” Hu Junan frowned deeply, his face devoid of any smile.

“If something like this happened in my homeland, I would fight tooth and nail to take a bite out of them, even if it cost me my life.”

“If only everyone thought like you…” Wǔ Xīyǔ pursed her lips, a flicker of worry in her eyes.

“Fewer and fewer people are willing to join the army now, and the northern threat is growing more severe.

Even the major northern strongholds have been breached.

Who knows when they will invade here.”

“This…”

“Never mind, these aren’t our worries,” Wǔ Xīyǔ gently pulled the blanket over him.

“It’s late; you should sleep, or it will affect your wound recovery.”

At that moment, a wave of drowsiness washed over him like a rising tide.

Hu Junan couldn’t help but yawn.

“Hah—Xiyu, you should go to sleep too.”

With that, he closed his eyes, relaxed his body, and his consciousness gradually faded.