083: Complex Dispute
The rise of the Red Arrow Empire was a difficult and complex process, but in any case, as a rising star, the Red Arrow Empire joined GTB and became the dominant force it is today, dominating the world in the fields of technology, finance, and healthcare.
The Mechanical Legion trampled through the Ice River and old dreams. The generals of the Red Arrow set out with the treaties signed in the past and Red Arrow arrows, one after another. Every time they conquered the capital of a country that had once occupied their land, the soldiers of the Red Arrow would go door to door and post those shameful documents all over the place, nailing them to the doors with red arrows, letting them know what mistakes they had made.
For three hundred years, the Red Arrow ' territory has expanded continuously, reaching as far east as Yinma Sky Ring and as far west as Frostplate, destroying and annexing dozens of countries. Their territory has far surpassed the historical existence of the Lanmo Alliance. They no longer fear the Great Power; now they themselves are the Great Power.
However, for the Red Arrow People, retaking Huameida Fortress is their greatest desire in this life.
The conflict over Huameida has a long history. It is a fragment of a nuclear-powered continental block left over from an Old Era. However, after the Malefic Calamity, the entire world was frozen, and the fortress stopped moving and stayed in place, which just happened to form an artificial defense line to protect the Lanmo Alliance.
If this concept is hard to grasp, imagine an unsinkable aircraft carrier capable of launching 10,000 fighter jets at once, piled high with military facilities provided by the Old Era Amirelio Federation to the Lanmo Alliance.
The technology and productivity of Azure Planet are vastly different from those of the Old Era. Whoever gets Huameida is essentially getting back the complete set of chips and programming technology from the Old Era.
For example, the most advanced fighter jet on Azure Planet today is the Frostplate 'Vulture', and the maximum number of Loyal Wingman that a Vulture can link to at the same time is only 12. If we use Old Era chips and programming technology, this number can be increased to 220.
This is no joke. The same problem also applies to Mobile Armor. Everyone knows that large humanoid mechs are pure nonsense in the atmospheric environment and have no practical combat significance. But the Azure Planet People have no choice. If they don't increase their size in the Outland, the machines simply cannot withstand the cold.
However, if the technology of the Old Era is used, the size of the humanoid mecha will be reduced to less than 5 meters, while still being able to unleash the same speed and efficiency as before.
How could Sky Ring possibly return such an important resource to the Red Arrow Empire?
To protect their technological equipment, the two long-time military powers voluntarily withdrew from the area, but never forgot to assert their sovereignty and engage in fighting over the surrounding region, a conflict that has continued for forty years. Driven by its loyalty to its homeland and its emphasis on technology, the Red Arrow has fought this issue to the bitter end, imposing various economic sanctions that have caused the value of the Heavenly Ring Currency to plummet, resulting in the Heavenly Ring Nation's current extremely high unemployment rate and stagflation.
It is well known that when the economy is in decline, the cost of crime decreases. Those who are homeless and have lost their jobs have no choice but to turn to crime to make a living. In such an environment, ordinary citizens become victims of crime.
—What? You think poor people would rob rich people? Rob the money of lords and clans? Four Nations have gun control laws, but given the economic level of ordinary people, the most they can get is an assault rifle. The residences of those politicians and business families are protected by Beta-rank powerhouses, elite warriors, and legions. Only someone out of their mind would rob that, right? The weak will only turn their swords against the weaker.
The Sky Ring government's "parallel" management style basically means that it will resort to a simple and brutal method to deal with such internal conflicts: fighting.
You're unemployed, aren't you? Why don't you team up with a few people to form a security Pioneering Group, go out into the Outland and raid and seize territory? As long as you pay taxes, Sky Ring will take you under its wing.
In this environment, countless people rushed into the Outland with weapons. In just twenty years, the territory of Sky Ring expanded by 33%. With the war and the population captured by the warriors, the birth rate and death rate both soared to new highs.
But the vast majority of Sky Ring's residents could no longer tolerate such an environment. They were just ordinary working-class children whose education taught them the truth about war. The constant deaths and fears made them abandon their illusion that "studying can change one's destiny" and began to resent and loathe war.
If this continues, the country will be finished.
At this very moment, Sky Ring began its repeated landings on Huameida, an act that severely provoked the Empire. The Empire coldly declared, "Although we don't have many nuclear weapons, we still have enough to take the whole world down with us."
However, this attitude only exacerbated the internal divisions within Sky Ring – the hawks who advocated war became even more rampant, seeing it as a sign of weakness, while the doves who advocated peace criticized the domestic economy, saying it was already a mess and that people shouldn't be allowed to fall into another mess.
Upon hearing this news, the people were utterly devastated: if a war broke out with the Red Arrow, they would be the first cannon fodder sent to the front lines.
Rather than die in such an unjust war, I might as well fight that bastard Park Jeong-sun Jung-soon to the death.
Organizations like the Tianchi Ring · Red Brigade, the National United Army, and the Heavenly Ring Student National Salvation Alliance have sprung up all over the country. At first, they were just protesting, but later, after they blew up the Metropolitan Police Department and seized some weapons, they began various attacks.
The struggle finally paid off. The politicians of Heavenly Ring Nation could not withstand the pressure and directly ordered the corporate group to take action.
Within a year, 220,000 members were arrested and imprisoned. The absolute disparity in strength caused most organizations to be directly dismantled. Some even turned into bandits, transforming from heroes who resisted the war into thugs and robbers riding motorcycles. Survival was more important than anything else.
"The Ring of Heavenly Blaze, with one heart to save the nation, the blazing sun will never be extinguished, shining brightly in the East!"
The Tianchi Ring Red Brigade Army is the last cadet army to adhere to this creed and maintain its organization and discipline. Because its full name is too long, people call it the "Red Brigade". However, there are too many organizations in the public who use the name "Red Brigade" or use it in a different way. It would be better to call it the Red Squad for a more accurate name.
The Red Squad and the Revere the King Party are originally two Main Storyline in the Sky Ring:
Players can choose to join the Red Squad, attack military logistics, assassinate corporate executives, and spread anti-war rhetoric to gain public sympathy, ultimately defeating the Ring King and the Clan Group to establish a normal regime.
Alternatively, one could choose to join the clan as a retainer, gain wealth and status as a samurai, and continue the war and the current desolate order.
Li Aoz isn't Heavenly Ring People, but he's very familiar with these two Main Storyline.
The Heavenly Ring People discriminate against Mutant and users of Aoneng, considering them monsters and aliens who corrupt the pure bloodline of humanity. The Red Squad, in order to gain all the power they can, has absorbed many Aoneng, and for this reason, they have also widely recruited internationalist volunteers to join the battle.
For example, ' Black Knight ' Gretwar Night Song.