Chapter 494: Chapter 16: Before the Battle (2)
Giant Snake City activated like a massive war machine in an instant, while the Blood Clan remained in utter chaos. The contrast was as sharp as a young man squaring off against an old man.
Although the majority believed Giant Snake City couldn’t possibly defeat the entire Blood Clan on its own, they equally couldn’t imagine how the Blood Clan would win the war.
Gradually, the lower ranks of the Blood Clan began to panic.
The panic was a harrowing torment.
Years later, a member of the Blood Clan recalled this experience and said, "It was terrible. Truly terrible. You can’t imagine how terrible. One morning, you wake up, and the entire world has changed."
"At first, I thought our way of life was right. The Elder Council was supreme. Whatever the elders set out to do, it was bound to succeed. When I first heard that negotiations between Giant Snake City and the Elder Council had collapsed, I thought Giant Snake City had gone mad. How could they possibly have the courage to confront the Elder Council?"
"And then?" the listener asked.
"Then I thought maybe the Elder Council was the one that had gone mad. The entire Blood Clan—it seemed like no one was prepared for an actual war." The complainer shook his head, a look of dejection in his eyes, as if he had suffered some devastating blow. And perhaps he truly had suffered such a blow. "When you step into the barracks and see your comrades barely able to hold their swords, their mouths full of chatter about the girls from last night’s ball... that’s despair, you know? You may not believe the Elder Council will lose, but you’ll surely feel that this war will be a disaster. A disaster for the entire Blood Clan. I don’t understand how the Elder Council expects people like this to fight a war."
"And after that?"
"After that, I realized that the Elder Council truly didn’t expect those people to fight a war. Alright, I take back what I said—they’re not mad. But it was still a disaster for the Blood Clan. Everyone soon found out that all their pride—all of it, mind you—was useless against Giant Snake City. War is a specialized discipline, not something those arrogant but stupid folks can comprehend. At least not in the short term."
"Alright, Count Messier, I understand what you’re saying."
During the same period, the residents of Giant Snake City offered a completely different perspective.
"When Lord Jones was invited to the High Court, I knew something was off. Really, I had a bad feeling then. How could those bloodsucking creatures possibly allow us to live the way we wanted in Giant Snake City? Apologies—when I say bloodsucking creatures, I don’t mean to insult Lord Jones. In truth, I deeply respect him. I’m specifically referring to the group in the High Court. I was deeply worried they might detain Lord Jones. Thank goodness they didn’t. Or perhaps Lord Jones was clever enough to foil their schemes. In any case, that’s when we began heading toward war."
"And then?"
"A fire ignited in my heart!"
"Oh?"
"We finally had the chance to make those bloodsucking bastards understand what it feels like to be trampled upon! Apologies, I’m not insulting Lord Jones—I’m specifically referring to the Blood Clan from the High Court."
"Alright, I understand. Go on."
"If not for Giant Snake City’s laws prohibiting it, I’d even want to buy one of those Blood Clan Nobles who had fallen into slavery—preferably my former master. Then I’d torment him fiercely! Return everything he ever gave me, but twice as much! Tear him apart! If I were to meet them on the battlefield, I’d pray they wouldn’t surrender—that way, I could kill them without question!"
"Uh... but didn’t most people think you would lose? Didn’t you ever think about running away?"
"We had no choice, Morca. We were slaves—or once were slaves. Even knowing the outcome, we didn’t have any other options. The only path ahead of us was to kill them! Anyone who wants to turn us back into slaves, we’ll kill them! That’s all there is to it! Maybe you don’t understand the feeling, but I’ve lived it myself. After being a slave and then regaining freedom, you’d never willingly give up that freedom again. No matter what temptations the other side offers, you’d never sell your freedom. If I can’t stay free, then I’d rather die on the battlefield!"
Regardless, the war began.
Lord Jones urgently made preparations in Giant Snake City, covering military recruitment, weapons, armor, food supplies—nothing was overlooked. A month later, everyone in Giant Snake City was brimming with confidence, ready to endure a brutal war.
However, the Blood Clan’s "army" didn’t arrive as planned. That’s right—they were absent. They were still mired in endless squabbling.
The "soldiers" hadn’t received any training for battlefield combat. They didn’t even understand basic military organization—or more accurately, such organization didn’t exist at all.
There was no coordinated distribution of armor or equipment, nor were there identifiable flags. On matters of military planning, tactics, and the like, they were completely clueless.
Blood Clan members with even a bit of insight had already recognized the severity of the problem. Letters pleading for negotiation flooded the Elder Council like snowflakes. Strangely, however, the Elder Council seemed unconcerned. They continued to insist on war preparations with unwavering determination.