The Elderly and Children Are a Burden

ps: Thanks to 'Shi 灬 Mo' and 'Ling Baiyue' for the donations. Thank you for your support.

"Damn it, I'm talking to you! Can't you hear me?"

After the messenger left, Hijikata Yoshitoyo could no longer hold back his anger. He stepped forward and grabbed Bai Ina by the collar.

Bai Ina's expression didn't change. He simply removed Hijikata Yoshitoyo's hand from his collar and said, word by word, "This is war. As long as it brings us victory, any means are acceptable."

"But you can't do this! Do you know how many people will die?" Hijikata Yoshitoyo pointed at the ruins around them, his eyes bloodshot as he shouted, "Look at this! How many people have died because of you? Those townspeople were innocent!"

"So what? War means sacrifice. If we hadn't done this, these townspeople would have stood against us. They would have helped the Kingdom Army and ensured its supplies. They could even have taken up arms and fought us for the Goa Kingdom. This is the fastest way to turn the people against the Goa Kingdom."

"Fine, the able-bodied young men could become reserve soldiers for the Kingdom Army. But what about the helpless old people and the babies who still need to be fed? They couldn't do anything. And yet, because of your actions, almost all of them were sacrificed."

"The elderly and children are only a burden in war. If we let them live... they'll just become a major liability. They can't help us, and we don't have time to care for them or raise them."

Bai Ina looked at Hijikata Yoshitoyo coldly, showing no remorse as he continued, "You have to understand that we don't have time to win the people over one by one. We don't have time, do you understand? If we hadn't acted, the ten thousand Kingdom Army troops stationed here would have attacked the Gray Terminal yesterday and wiped us out one by one."

"Maybe I really was wrong. Someday, I might regret this decision, but I... will never admit that I was wrong!"

Hijikata Yoshitoyo stared blankly at Bai Ina. After a long pause, disappointment flashed in his eyes. "You've changed... Bai Ina!"

"Maybe."

Bai Ina's body trembled. After replying, he headed toward the camp behind them without looking back.

Hijikata Yoshitoyo was left alone amid the ruins, his face filled with self-reproach.

"Hijikata, are you all right?"

A voice came from nearby, and someone slowly emerged from the darkness.

"Loxi..." Hijikata looked at the newcomer in pain, his voice full of regret. "Maybe I shouldn't have agreed to let Bai Ina join the Revolutionary Army back then."

Hijikata Yoshitoyo turned toward the direction Bai Ina had gone and said softly, "Bai Ina has changed. He's been different ever since our teacher died. He used to be stubborn, but never this extreme. Now he feels like a stranger to me. It feels as if he doesn't want to overthrow the Goa Kingdom anymore, but... to destroy everything. It's like he's venting, wanting to destroy everyone and everything in front of him, stopping at nothing to achieve his goals..."

"Maybe." A strange look flashed in Loxi's eyes, and he murmured as if speaking to himself, "Anyone would go mad after going through something like that. Whether they remember it or not, some feelings are still carved into their souls..."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing!"

At the same time, Bai Ina entered a huge factory building.

There were many people inside. Telegrams printed out one after another, while people hurried back and forth carrying documents.

When they saw Bai Ina arrive, they all stiffened.

"Chief Bai!"

Just then, a young man of about twenty, his expression cold as ice, came over and said respectfully, "We've revealed the Kingdom Army's location to the residents of Border Town. Many of them have gone there to seek help. Lord Zongcilang's men also successfully infiltrated the area. A few minutes ago, they sent a telegram saying they'd placed gasoline in several patches of dense forest at the locations marked by Lord Loxi."

"Mm!"

Bai Ina nodded. "Mo Mo, gather all the fighters and prepare to launch an all-out attack. Also, send a telegram to Zongcilang and the others. They're to wait for my signal before setting the forest on fire!"

The cold young man known as Mo Mo nodded. He was the only person Bai Ina truly trusted. However, he hadn't originally been a resident of the Gray Terminal or a bandit from Mt. Colubo. He was a Bounty Hunter.

Bai Ina had met him back when he was a Bounty Hunter. At the time, Mo Mo had gone alone to find the Tanuki Pirate Crew, a pirate crew in the East Blue with a bounty of 13 million Beli. He'd wanted to claim the captain's head for the reward, but had failed to realize the difference in their strength and had nearly been killed.

As it happened, Bai Ina had been on his way to hunt the same target and saved him. Afterward, Mo Mo proposed that they team up to hunt pirates, but Bai Ina turned him down.

They went their separate ways. Then, not long ago, Bai Ina spotted him in a Border Town in the Goa Kingdom, where he'd gone ashore to replenish supplies. Bai Ina invited him to help, and Mo Mo, grateful to him for saving his life, accepted.

Bai Ina didn't know Mo Mo's personality very well, but he trusted his ability to get things done. His strength was another reason Bai Ina valued him. After all, in the weak seas of the East Blue, Bounty Hunters capable of taking down million-Beli pirates single-handedly were few and far between.

But what Bai Ina admired most was Mo Mo's ability to gather intelligence. Mo Mo could often analyze the most useful information from the simplest details. This was clear from how easily he'd once managed to locate every target he hunted across the vast East Blue.

"Damn, what rotten luck! Those damn nobles!"

Vincent was bare-chested, cursing furiously inside the camp tent.

The other officers in the tent didn't dare agree with him. Vincent could say such things because his older brother was a Kingdom Army general. If they joined in recklessly, they'd be dead within days, locked away in some noble's secret prison.

"Lord Vincent, what exactly have the higher-ups decided? What are we supposed to do now?" one officer asked.

"How should I know? Those Border Town commoners have gone crazy. I don't know how they found out we were here. Those wretches even came here seeking protection, turning our camp into a complete mess," Vincent said irritably.

"Exactly. The higher-ups ordered us not to kill them indiscriminately, for fear of provoking the people into resisting. But this can't go on. We've driven them away again and again, and now everyone knows we're stationed here."

'Whoosh—'

Just then, a bright signal flare burst in the sky with a piercing whistle, and beautiful sparks drifted down through the night.

"What's going on?"

Vincent frowned and rushed out of the tent with his men. At that moment, the horizon suddenly turned red, and the flames spread rapidly. Before long, the entire forest was ablaze.

"This is bad! We're under attack!!!" Vincent's face changed drastically. Their camp was right in the middle of the forest. They'd cut down all the surrounding trees and set up nearly a thousand tents. The sudden blaze had them all surrounded.

The wind fanned the flames, and sparks fell onto the nearly thousand tents, setting one military tent after another alight as if the whole camp were burning. Kingdom Army soldiers who had already undressed and gone to sleep rushed out of their tents, screaming.

The whole place descended into chaos...