Put Away All the Guns for Me

The news of Ulan Province declaring independence, like a massive stone cast into a calm lake, stirred up a tidal wave in the imperial capital.

The reaction from the Northern Government's cabinet was even more chilling.

Silence.

Two words, spoken so lightly, yet they dragged the reputation of all of Huaxia through the mud.

"Traitors!"

"A bunch of spineless cowards!"

On the campus of Imperial Capital University, young students were filled with righteous indignation, their faces, still bearing the marks of scholars, flushed crimson. In front of the bulletin board, newspapers were torn to shreds, scattering like snowflakes across the ground.

"We can't let this go!"

"We have to do something!"

"Meeting! We must have a meeting! Call representatives from all the universities!"

Zhang Boling, a well-known leader in the imperial capital, always known for his boldness, raised his arms and shouted.

His words ignited the fire in everyone's hearts.

Students poured out from every corner, converging into a torrent. They broke through the fragile line of police blocking the school gate, holding banners that read "Give Us Back Ulan" and "Punish the National Traitors," and surged onto the streets.

At first, it was just students.

Soon, workers who heard the news put down their tools and joined the procession. Shops along the street closed one after another, and owners and employees brought out stools, standing at their doorways and silently supporting the surging crowd.

The entire imperial capital was paralyzed.

Everyone had only one goal.

The Purple Gold Pavilion.

The location of the Northern Government's cabinet.

"Open the doors!"

"Let President Duan come out!"

"Give us an explanation!"

The crowd surrounded the Purple Gold Pavilion so tightly that not a drop of water could get through, their angry roars threatening to overturn the roof.

Zhang Boling stood at the very front of the crowd, a tin megaphone in his hand, facing the tightly shut vermilion gate. He roared with all his might.

"President Duan! Esteemed members of the cabinet!"

"You take the taxes we pay, you eat the grain we grow, and this is how you repay us?"

"The land of Ulan was won by our ancestors with every sword and every shot! How dare you give it away as you please? Did you even ask us, your citizens?"

"You group of useless people who only hide in your rooms playing power games! You can't even protect your own doorstep, yet you talk about governing the country? It's simply a colossal joke!"

He cursed with great satisfaction, every word striking the Northern Government's cabinet to the core.

The crowd's emotions grew more agitated, and they began to push against the human wall formed by the police.

Zhang Zhiyuan, the captain of the imperial capital police, had sweat all over his forehead. His officers' faces were pale, and their police batons trembled.

Who had ever seen such a scene?

"Fall back! Everyone fall back!"

Zhang Zhiyuan yelled at the top of his lungs, but his voice was so small amidst the mountain-like roar of slogans that it was almost negligible.

Just then, the crowd suddenly parted.

A woman, covered in blood and with disheveled hair, stumbled out from the crowd and, with a thud, knelt before the gate of the Purple Gold Pavilion.

She held up a piece of white cloth, on which were written crooked words in blood.

"Injustice!"

A bloody "Injustice!" made everyone's heart tremble.

"I am from Ulan..." the woman's voice was already hoarse, each word carrying flecks of blood. "My home... is right on the border..."

"The White Devils... those beasts from White Bear Country stormed into our village and killed everyone they saw! My father, to protect me, was stabbed to death by their bayonets! My mother... my mother..."

The woman couldn't continue. She collapsed on the ground, letting out a beast-like wail.

Her tearful account brought a sudden silence to the entire scene.

Everyone stared intently at the woman and the blood-written letter in her hand.

Anger, like gasoline, was splashed into everyone's hearts.

Zhang Boling's eyes turned red. He snatched the blood-written letter and held it high.

"See!"

"This is the result of your silence!"

"This is the fate of our compatriots!"

"Charge in!"

Someone shouted.

The crowd completely lost control.

Zhang Zhiyuan's face turned ashen, the phone on his waist rang frantically. He picked it up with trembling hands, and his superior's cold command came through.

"No matter what, hold the Purple Gold Pavilion! You can use force against anyone who tries to break through!"

Use force?

Zhang Zhiyuan looked at the young, angry faces before him, his hands and feet turning cold.

He gritted his teeth, drew the pistol from his waist, and fired a shot into the air.

"Bang!"

The gunshot didn't silence anyone; instead, it completely enraged the crowd.

"The police are hitting people!"

"They're going to kill us!"

At this critical moment, the sound of neat and powerful hoofbeats approached from a distance.

"Da! Da! Da!"

A fully armed cavalry unit forcefully pushed its way through the side of the crowd, positioning themselves between the students and the police.

The General leading them wore a Northwest Army uniform, his face stern and his eyes sharp. He reined in his horse, dismounted, and walked a few steps towards Zhang Zhiyuan.

"Director Zhang, what great authority you wield."

Zhang Zhiyuan's legs went weak when he recognized the man.

"Gen... General Liu... Why are you here?"

The newcomer was Liu Weiguo, the top fierce general under the Northwest Border Defense Commander, General Feng. He was known for his fiery temper and his patriotism.

Liu Weiguo didn't even look at him, his gaze sweeping over the tense police officers.

"Put away your guns!"

He roared.

"The guns of my Northwest Army are only ever aimed outward! Anyone who dares to lay a hand on their own countrymen, on these children, is my mortal enemy, Liu Weiguo!"