"Boss, I've finally waited for you guys to arrive. Tonight, I can finally drink a few cups of wine to my heart's content and have a good night's sleep.
Do you know, ever since we've taken over Polyvicia's capital, I've been on tenterhooks. Even when I'm taking a nap, I have to turn a blind eye.
Now that you're here, the 1st folk can finally be at ease. "
While Berklin appeared confident and confident during the welcoming ceremony at the city gates as if everything was under control, he complained loudly the moment he returned to the command center.
The surprise attack on the Royal City of Polyvisia was a magnificent feat in the history of war, but occupying the Royal City of Polyvisia and waiting for reinforcements from the follow-up troops was a very torturous day for him and the soldiers of the First Division.
Nasri had always been Aueras' mortal enemy. As the capital was located, the atmosphere of hostility towards Aueras had always been very strong.
Those who lived in the capital were all Nasrian citizens. They could be said to be supporters of the royal family and the ones who benefited from joining the eastern alliance against Aueras.
There were a total of 110,000 registered households in the capital of Polyvicia. Even though most of them were commoners, some of them were indirectly related to the nobles of the Kingdom of Nasri.
The men in the households were either low-level officials or soldiers, or worked for a noble in the capital. It could be said that most of the citizens in the capital were the elites of Nasri.
So, from a certain point of view, the citizens of Polyvicia were loyal subjects of Nasri VII. They supported Nasri's war against Aueras.
They hoped to get a share of the spoils of war after Aueras was destroyed, so that they and their families could benefit.
In the residential areas of Royal City, one could see many families with white silk orange flowers hanging on their doors, which meant that a man in this family had died on the battlefield …
The 110,000 households added up to a population of 600,000. Factoring in the foreign merchants and workers, the capital had a population of more than 800,000. It was only slightly inferior to the Aueran capital, which had a population of a million. It was the second largest city in the eastern part of Freia, with a flourishing trade, workshops, and manufacturing industries.
Berklin had led the 1st Division to attack the capital of Polyvicia. He was very lucky to have coincided with the monthly rest day for the Nasrian Royal Guards. It was a three-day break, allowing the soldiers to return home to deal with family matters and reunite with their families for three days.
That was why the royal guard only had one folk left in the capital. After being ambushed by Thundercrash's 1st folk, they were quickly routed and allowed 1st folk to take over the city.
None of the Nasrian royals and nobles in the city managed to escape. They were all captured by Berklin's troops.
It was a matter of time. The citizens didn't even have time to react before the city was taken.
By the time they understood the situation, all the nobles and nobles who could incite a revolt had been captured. Without a leader, they couldn't resist even if they wanted to.
One thing Berklin did well was to take the initiative to wipe out the resistance forces gathered around the city while the situation was still unstable.
However, Berklin also admitted that he had no choice at that time. If he did not take the initiative to attack, and the local garrisons in the towns around King City gathered and besieged King City, they would then work together with the residents in the city. Then, what awaited the First Division would be a cruel and bloody battle …
Because it was the Nasri royal guard's rest day, the entire folk's soldiers took turns to return home. Most of them didn't live in Polyvicia but in the surrounding towns.
There were also some Nasri nobles who built manors in the towns around Polyvicia.
After learning that King's City had fallen, these nobles and the soldiers of the Imperial Guard Legion who had gone home on their shifts immediately took action. They contacted each other and gathered the local garrisons of the surrounding towns and cities, preparing to counterattack King's City.
After Berklin learned of this information, he immediately decided to send troops to eliminate the threat posed by the resistance forces in the surrounding towns. He immediately sent out three main field regiments to wipe out the surrounding towns, defeating the local garrisons that were gathering, and eliminating the threat to King's City in its infancy.
Just as Berklin admitted, the situation at the time was really critical and tense. There was less than one division left in Polyvicia.
During the attack on Royal City, the First Division had suffered casualties of nearly three thousand men, an entire battalion of soldiers had been sacrificed.
At that time, he was prepared to drag Nasri VII out of the palace as a hostage in case the citizens of Polyvicia rioted. Let's see who's more ruthless. If you want to save the king, I'll give you a corpse.
Fortunately, the three main divisions cleaned up the towns around Polyvicia and escorted a large number of supplies and valuables back. The citizens of Polyvicia didn't do anything strange either, allowing 1st Folk to survive the crisis.
However, staying in Polyvicia for more than a month wasn't easy. The hostility and uncooperative nature of the citizens was one thing.
The captured Nasri royals and the high-ranking nobles, as well as the more than 30,000 soldiers from the guard corps, all put a lot of pressure on 1st Folk.
There was also the defense of Polyvicia. Berklin was on tenterhooks every day, afraid that something unexpected would happen. He looked forward to the arrival of reinforcements all day long so that he could be relieved of the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The surrounding towns hadn't been completely cleaned up and there were still quite a few that slipped through the net.
1st Folk's light cavalry patrols were often ambushed by the local resistance forces and had already suffered 300 to 400 casualties.
Berklin was furious, but he couldn't take revenge for fear of inciting a revolt.
"Look, the twelve cities and towns within a hundred miles of King City have all been listed as forbidden zones for our division's soldiers.
Just walking on the streets will cause us to be ambushed by the gunmen hiding in the houses on the side of the street.
But we can't find the enemy because they drop their guns and become civilians. If we carry out a large-scale search of the town, we'll have to send out a regiment of troops. Otherwise, it'll be difficult to suppress a town with tens of thousands of residents rioting … "Berklin pointed at the surrounding towns on the map of Polyvicia.
"Right now, 1st Folk only has three and a half regiments. One regiment guards the city walls, one looks after the prisoners, and one maintains order in the commercial district of Polyvicia.
The other two battalions are responsible for guarding the palace. The Nasri royals and high-ranking nobles are all imprisoned in the palace. This is an important matter that can't be left unattended.
The remaining 2,000 sick and wounded are in the medical camp, so I don't have any mobile troops on hand. I can only let the 12 towns around Polyvicia surround us in Polyvicia.
Even if I send out light cavalry and patrol squads, they can only patrol the outskirts of these towns … "Berklin felt helpless.
Claude recalled the two towns he passed through and realized that Berklin was right. The townspeople were chased out of their houses and looked at the Thundercrash soldiers with hatred in their eyes.
It wasn't a big deal. The main thing was that the guards had taken over the houses on both sides of the street for safety reasons and would return them to the original owners after Claude passed by. They didn't take the opportunity to loot anything from their homes.
Just like that, the townspeople stood on both sides of the street and watched with hatred and anger as Thundercrash's 2nd Folk and Claude walked past their houses.
It seemed that Berklin wasn't lying. Due to the lack of mobile troops, they couldn't fight back against the local resistance forces in the towns around Polyvicia, causing the residents of the 12 towns to rebel.
That wasn't a good sign and had to be suppressed.
Sometimes, mercy wouldn't make the enemy put down their weapons. Instead, it would make them even more arrogant.
As the mortal enemy of Aueras, Polyvicia and the surrounding areas of Nasri were the most resolute in opposing Aueras. Perhaps only blood and iron could wake the people of the area up to the fact that their fates were in the hands of their conquerors.
"Rest and reorganize for two days. Send more light cavalry squads to surround the 12 towns around Polyvicia and cut off all communication between them. Even passersby will have to go through strict checks and be given a guarantee before they can be let through.
"Two days later, 2nd Folk will be mobilised. Send a battalion to every town to seal off all exits.
With one regiment remaining, begin to search every city. Arrest all those who have firearms in their homes. Confiscate the homes of nobles and officials as well. Kill all those who resist. Be it the old or the weak, women or children. As long as they are hostile to our army, eliminate them all! "
Claude coldly gave his first order since arriving in Polyvicia. Unlike the high-ranking officers in command, he knew very well how much blood his order would cause in the surrounding towns.
Merciful people shouldn't lead armies, but they should also be merciless in killing their enemies.
Only in this way could he be worthy of the soldiers who had trusted him, and not let those loyal and brave soldiers sacrifice their lives in vain for the sake of so-called humanitarianism.
The two folk of Thundercrash met up in Polyvicia, causing the situation around the capital to tense up.
Night was Wolfang's domain. Claude didn't let them enter the towns and only allowed them to move around the outskirts of the towns.
As expected, in just two nights, the Wolf Fang Brigade had captured more than ten liaisons sent by the local resistance forces in these towns. Under torture, these liaisons spilled all the information about the local resistance forces that they were in.
On the third day, the net was pulled in. The 12 towns were surrounded and 2nd Folk's 5th Folk entered Lodewi to search. Less than half an hour later, they were ambushed by the local resistance forces and the entire town erupted. Countless townspeople pounced on 5th Folk with knives and forks.
2nd Folk's Dyavid spat out the grass in his mouth and gave the order to open fire.
After two days of fierce and tragic resistance, the seventy thousand townspeople of the town of Dolodvi ended up with the destruction of their families and the death of their people.
Their knives and forks weren't even able to kill a single enemy before they were shot down mercilessly.
It was useless even if they hid in their homes. 5th Folk's soldiers used the old light infantry cannons they got from the capital to destroy their houses and tossed grenades inside to clear out their targets.
In the end, apart from the 10,000 women and children who surrendered and were lucky enough to survive, the entire town was razed to the ground.
In order to destroy the evidence of their crimes, the despicable invaders even set fire to the town before they left. The fire burned for three days and three nights before it was extinguished.
On the other hand, the invaders brought nearly a hundred carts filled with valuables and escorted more than ten thousand women and children on their way back proudly.
Next was Csimback. The town was already prepared. The townspeople built barricades and made all sorts of weapons. Before 5th Folk entered the town, they had already started a defensive battle. They used their own crossbows to injure a soldier who was about to enter the town for a search, and so the battle broke out.
Reality proved that in front of the fully armed Fifth Division, the townspeople of Csimback could only be considered trash. No one could withstand the bombardment of the cannons, the explosions of the projectiles, and the merciless shooting of the bullets. The braver the people were, the faster they died, and the resistance of the townspeople quickly crumbled.
The townspeople's resistance was all thunder and no rain. They made quite a ruckus, but when the battle really started, they withered quickly.
They weren't like the first townspeople of Lodewi, who were unafraid of death and resisted for two days.
The townspeople of Csimback could not even hold out for six hours.
After the bravest and most resolute people died, the rest obediently abandoned their weapons and surrendered. As a result, Thundercrash gained another forty thousand captives.
Following the previous example, after collecting all the valuables in the town, the fifth regiment set the whole town on fire and burned it to the ground.
Humans tended to be forgetful. Claude didn't intend to release the townsfolk. They would be transported back to the autonomous region along with the Nasrian guards he had captured.
The Loki Mountain region was very unpopulated, so the soldiers and townspeople of the Imperial Guard Corps would be very suitable miners.
Perhaps the harsh life would make them part of the region quickly and forget about the enmity between nations. Claude believed that to be the case.
Dyavid, on the other hand, asked Claude why he didn't release the guards by cutting their left thighs like he did the other captives. That way, there wouldn't be a need to waste an entire regiment to watch over them.
Claude told him that the guards were all loyal to Nasri. Just like the captives and nobles, they were members of Nasri's ruling class. That was why they wouldn't give in to the destruction of Nasri.
The other captives were forcibly conscripted into the army. If we cut them off from the battlefield, they'd be grateful to us for saving them from the fate of being cannon fodder.
As for these soldiers of the Imperial Guard Corps, they would go against us even if they were to cut off one of his legs, much less cut off one of his blades.
So, sending them to Loki Mountains to be mined is equivalent to cutting off their path of retreat.
In the future, they could only fight for their own survival, take care of their own families, and live a better life.
The same goes for the townspeople. Even though we've suppressed their opposition, they'll still cause trouble behind our backs if we don't do anything about it.
For the sake of the long-term peace and stability of the Royal City and its surrounding areas, we can only make an example out of Rodeway and Kesimbach to those who resist us.
We'll let the residents of the other ten towns see the consequences of resisting us.
That outcome was already laid out for everyone to see.
That was why apart from those local resistance forces who struggled for more than an hour before being completely wiped out, no other townspeople dared to resist Thundercrash's soldiers who entered the town to search for them.
Even when the families of the townspeople with guns were taken away, their neighbours didn't say anything. They just closed their doors and windows and peeked out through the cracks in their doors and windows.
The surrender of the third town meant that the remaining nine towns wouldn't be able to raise any waves of resistance.
With the ruins of Rodeway and Csimback Towns in front of them, the remaining four towns were just like the third one. Apart from the local resistance forces that were still fighting back, the rest of the townspeople had already shrunk back into their shells like quails.
They could only watch helplessly as Thundercrash crushed the resistance of the armed men. They gathered the armed rebels in the town square, killed them, and then took away their families.
As for the towns that surrendered, Thundercrash's soldiers would only charge them a 30% tax. Everything else would be up to the townspeople.
Of course, Thundercrash's soldiers only went into the houses to see if there were any guns or other weapons. They didn't care about normal swords, bows, or spears.
They also wouldn't search the homes of the townspeople who obeyed their orders.
Thundercrash's soldiers only captured the resistance and their families. Those who surrendered willingly were not killed either. They were just taken away as prisoners like their families.
The same went for the nobles and officials in the town. They were captured along with their families.
Only those who resisted on the spot were cruelly suppressed. Even if they were alive, they would be executed on the spot.
The residences of the resistance and the resisters, as well as the manors and villas of the nobles and officials, were all searched carefully. All their belongings were taken away. Even the empty manors and villas were sealed, indicating that they would be dealt with later and that other townspeople were not allowed to occupy them …
By the time the last three towns arrived, the three main forces had already moved out.
Surprisingly, the townsfolk of the three towns were already prepared. They respectfully welcomed the arrival of the Thundercrash Corps.
Only then did the soldiers realize that the townsfolk had already done everything for them. Even the members of the resistance forces hiding in the town had been tied up and gathered in the town square. Even their family members were no exception.
Looking at the firearms and cannons piled up in the square, the bound members of the resistance who were either cursing or remorseful, as well as the weeping family members, General Dyavid felt that his horizons had truly been broadened.
A few of the townspeople's elders expressed humbly that they had always been content with their lot and only wanted to continue living in peace.
Treating the resistance members this way was also for their own good. At the very least, they wouldn't lose their lives and drag the innocent townspeople down with them.
Just like that, the surrounding towns and regions of Polyvicia came under Thundercrash's control once more. Claude ordered a thorough search of the city and sealed it for half a month.
The search went from one residential area to another and the sounds of gunfire and explosions rang out incessantly.
More than 20,000 militants were killed on the spot. Their families, the families of the Nasrian guards, the nobles, and the local officials walked into the controlled zone and were separated from the outside world.
Thundercrash had finally gained full control of Polyvicia's capital and removed the hidden dangers behind them.
More than a hundred thousand rebels and civilians died in those two operations. That was why he was known as the Butcher of Polyvasia.