In the afternoon, Zhang Tie followed the team of junkmen and entered Kalur City's control area.
It was a bit ironical that when Zhang Tie arrived at the Kalur war zone last time as a military officer of the Norman Empire, he hadn't even had a chance to enjoy the city's view before having to leave. This time, only after a short period, he came here again as a criminal.
What Zhang Tie saw along the road from the deserted Forgue town to the actual control area of Kalur brought him a more concrete sense of the war between the Sun Dynasty and the Norman Empire.
The closer he got to Kalur City, the more serious the confrontations between the Sun Dynasty and the Norman Empire were. Judging from the bases, fortresses, and fortifications the two forces had built around Kalur, it was clear that this war which involved hundreds of thousands of soldiers was doomed to be a long lasting competition. Zhang Tie understood this current situation of the Kalur region based on the news he'd received from the junkmen and what he had seen and heard in the military,
Besides the Sun Dynasty and the Norman Empire, there was another party in the Kalur region that had a say about this war—Kalur, the city of machine, the manufacturing center of Andaman Alliance and the fat which brought about the war between the fierce tiger and the hungry wolf.
The reason that it could become a fat in the eyes of the Sun Dynasty and the Norman Empire was that it was qualified and had the benefits to be a piece of fat. Compared to Blackhot City, an emerging city which only had a history of dozens of years, Kalur had over 200 years' history which meant a rich accumulation of resources in all aspects. Population, prosperity, manufacturing force, army establishment, actual power and control area of this city all ranked number one in the Andaman Alliance.
Even now Kalur still had a regular army of almost 80,000 soldiers plus the tall city wall and the terrifying city-defense weapons that the city had carefully managed the past 200 years. Such a force was capable of determining the result of this war.
The moment Zhang Tie came to the actual control area of Kalur City, he was shocked by the prosperity here. He even failed to see the city wall within 10-odd km. His eyes were blocked by the huge chimneys that were as dense as woods.
Those chimneys originated from the plants in the controlled area which had already formed a wide industrial zone. Many plants were even connected by pathways hanging up in the air and various tunnels of different sizes. Under the winter sunlight, the black smoke erupting from the chimneys almost dyed the whole sky dark gray. The plants were still producing various items, revealing no sign of depression at all.
Compared to the plants here, the ones in Blackhot City, besides them being on scale, they were as simple and crude as rustic workshops of country moneybags.
What Zhang Tie was seeing right now was just a corner of the actual control area as he was standing in the north.
A single smoking chimney reminded people of pollution while hundreds of tall, smoking chimneys made people feel trivial.
Here, Zhang Tie felt the power of industrial development.
Although people inside those plants were still busy working, outside the plants, hundreds of thousands of refuges poured in from the surrounding areas because of war, causing the whole area to become a bit chaotic.
Walking through the streets, Zhang Tie could see shabby and exhausted refugees queuing up outside plant recruitment points while more men and women were raising boards on the roadside on which were written: 'I'm a tailor; I want to work for food.'
In relatively vacant places on the roadside, refugees had built their tents. Kids' cries drifted over from the insides of many tents.
On the relatively better and cleaner wall next to the roadside were plastered various paper tapes and photos seeking for relatives.
Since this was Zhang Tie's first time being here, he didn't want to attract attention to himself and so insisted in seeing more and speaking less. He kept his head lowered and carried his items while following the other junkmen. Not until the team arrived at the control area of Kalur City did head Fred let out a breath and put back his blue-green flag.
On the way here, Zhang Tie heard many legends. In the past months, many junkmen had not come back after entering the war zone.
There were junkmen who truly made a fortune by discovering some items that had not been taken away by others in some deserted towns or villages. Some even picked up some valuable booty such as excellent weapons or gold coins from corpses in the fields of battle where the two armies had clashed. And some unlucky guys also lost their lives.
It might be very exciting to search for forgotten treasures in the deserted villages and towns surrounding Kalur City, but this was at the risk of one's life. This profession born from war was really akin to licking blood from the blade of a saber for commoners.
...
"Have you seen my daughter? My daughter is Selena. Here's her photo. She said that she was going to school in the morning, but she still hasn't come back yet..."
...
"Have you seen my daughter? My daughter is Selena. Here's her photo. She said that she was going to school in the morning, but she still hasn't come back yet..."
On the roadside, a 50-odd woman was holding a photo of a girl and pulled at every passer-by to ask the same question. Although she was asking, her eyes were as hollow as if she'd already lost her soul.
Zhang Tie followed the other junkmen and silently passed her.
"This woman is done for. She comes from the south. It's better in the north. It's said that in some southern places, those beasts of the Sun Dynasty would rape every woman they see, aging from small girls to grandmas. Any men who dare to resist would lose their heads. Many of them would even be caught to do labor works, repair roads, and carry items..."
Walking beside Zhang Tie, Gerry let out a sigh. "The tide of refugees coming to Kalur started from the south, but hearing what was happening in the south, the northern people also escaped. They all wanted to escape to Kalur for protection. However, they did not know that with the increasing number of refugees pouring in here, nobody would live well..."
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