Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1318 - 1311: Changing Propaganda

Chapter 1318: Chapter 1311: Changing Propaganda

The good news of consecutive victories on the front lines reached Lingyuan City, and the leaders of the Demon Clan and Luo’er, among others, were very pleased. Linglan had never thought that their nearly extinct clan would be able to launch a counterattack against the Dongsheng Empire a little over a month later.

Although it was just a small attempt, two days of victories had dispelled their doubts, especially after seeing the astonishing casualty ratio. The myth of the invincibility of the Dongsheng Empire crumbled. Luo’er then vigorously promoted the battles of these two days to boost the morale of the Demon Clan.

However, as the fighting continued, problems also emerged. In the letter Cheng Ziang wrote to Luo’er, he emphasized the phenomenon of indiscriminate killing.

Besides the stationed troops, there were also a large number of laborers conscripted by the government within these strongholds, and when the Demon Clan’s army broke in, they didn’t bother sorting anyone out, hacking down practically anyone they saw. Every time a stronghold was taken, it turned into a massacre.

This was something Luo’er could not accept, and he was criticized by Cheng Ziang, who pointed out the bias in his propaganda. Hence, Luo’er would have to address this issue, to stop the indiscriminate killing and formally integrate the Demon Clan’s army into the modern military sequence.

In fact, the problem of the military’s misdeeds wasn’t unique to feudal armies; up to the present day, the armies of most countries on Earth still maintained this form. To put it harshly, they were disciplined bandits, loyal only to the authorities and disconnected from the masses.

But Luo’er, born into a military family, did not favor this form; in his world, civilians and the military were supposed to be mutually understanding and encompassing, a relationship traditionally referred to as "the military and civilians are like fish and water," showing precisely this form.

However, Luo’er also understood that at present, to improve the overall quality of the Demon Clan’s army, there had to be substantial reasons, otherwise the tribal leaders of the Demon Clan would not accept such reforms.

For they believed that soldiers should be bloodthirsty. As the saying goes, "Our lands for their blood," they would loathe any Kyushu people entering West Outer Heaven, whether they were soldiers or civilians.

Nevertheless, contact with the merchant Boyan had already proven that the interior of the Dongsheng Empire was not monolithic. Merchants even hoped that the Demon Clan’s army could drive out the Dongsheng empire’s influence in West Outer Heaven and restore the original state.

Unite the majority, isolate the minority, this was a rational and feasible plan. Luo’er believed that those laborers conscripted by the Dongsheng military were definitely not the supporters of the Dongsheng troops. If they could be united, it would be beneficial and not harmful to Abisien.

Moreover, most importantly, after a month of on-site investigations, Luo’er and Zhuyan Yu had almost determined that the rapid decrease in the Demon Clan’s population would greatly hinder the reconstruction of Abisien.

On Earth, the fastest way to restore productivity was through immigration. Likewise, in Otherworld, the only current option was to capture these conscripted laborers to restore the Demon Clan’s productivity.

And most crucially, the Demon Clan had a strong assimilation ability, so these captured laborers needed nearly only one generation to be assimilated, making them an ideal target for increasing the population.

With this in mind, Luo’er sought out Zisu, hoping to use her connections to persuade the leaders of the Demon Clan to change the direction of their propaganda.

The reason for approaching Zisu was that he was very aware that the Beast Head Tribe’s Leader still had reservations about him, so it wouldn’t be easy to frequently push for policy changes, especially as he was a foreigner who traditionally had no right to interfere with the Demon Clan’s internal affairs. Therefore, he could only maintain communication through Zisu.

"When did you start feeling sympathy for those Kyushu people? They don’t deserve it," Zisu asked in puzzlement after hearing Luo’er’s account, "When the Dongsheng Empire invaded, they were accomplices and a helping hand!"

"You can’t say that, Zisu," Luo’er argued, "They are also peasants conscripted by the Dongsheng Empire, uprooted from their homes to come to West Heaven. If given a choice, they certainly wouldn’t want to come, but they didn’t have one."

"So are we supposed to forgive them, then?" Zisu said with a sullen expression. "Do you know how many of our Demon Clan people died because of the Dongsheng Empire’s invasion? Almost not a single demon can be found in the entire southwest West Heaven; it’s all been occupied by those Kyushu people. If we repay those atrocities with kindness, then what should we use to repay kindness?"

"I understand your feelings, but," Luo’er lowered his head and, after a light cough, continued, "the deceased are gone, and we should look ahead. The urgent matter at hand is to restore Abisien’s productivity. Only by restoring productivity can you have enough strength to resist the Dongsheng Empire and prevent further slaughter, isn’t that right?"

"The deceased are gone, but as a foreigner, you can’t comprehend that kind of emotion, that’s why you can say such things..." Zisu said with a slightly lowered eyelid, her tone flat.

"I’m sorry..." Luo’er pursed his lips and tactfully shut his mouth.

After taking a deep breath, Zisu seemed less dejected and said with her lips slightly trembling, "I should be apologizing to you. Despite being friends, I spoke such words..."

"I don’t blame you because you’re right. You have your own hatred, your own emotions, which I, as a foreigner, cannot understand, and that’s why development is all I can think about," Luo’er said with a tone of guilt.

"Your proposal isn’t wrong, but perhaps it’s our inability; it seems very hard to get over this hurdle..." Zisu said.

"But whatever the case, we truly hope Abisien can endure in the long term, so would you listen to our plan?" Luo’er asked, gathering his courage once again.

"Why did you choose Abisien? Dongsheng Empire is stronger and already occupies the South of West Outer Heaven," Zisu asked, puzzled.

"How to put it," Luo’er said, looking up at the western sky almost in a daze, "Don’t mind our current destitute state, but our families will come for us eventually. It’s just a matter of time, so in the interim, we need to establish a foothold in West Outer Heaven and wait for rescue."

After another deep breath, he lowered his gaze to Zisu and said, "As for why we chose you, it’s not entirely because we want to help you, but because we can’t stand the invasion acts of Dongsheng Empire."

"Perhaps you think our choice is childish and absurd, but in our view, it’s indeed entirely rational. Wars of aggression are never praiseworthy. Regardless of the reasons behind them, they are shameful and despicable acts, and we disdain to associate with the vile, that’s all there is to it. When our fleet arrives one day, I believe their choice will be the same as ours."

"Is there really such a noble empire in the world?" Zisu asked, somewhat lost in thought.

"We are not an empire," Luo’er clarified.

"Alright," Zisu took a deep breath and nodded, "state your demands clearly, and I will find a way for you."

"Thank you, thank you so much, Zisu," Luo’er said excitedly.

"You are doing it for Abisien, and so am I; it’s I who should be thanking you," Zisu said with a smile, shaking her head.

"Overall," Luo’er coughed slightly and spoke earnestly, "Abisien needs more captives, more labor, even if it’s as slaves, it is still much more beneficial than killing them. West Outer Heaven has a severe labor shortage, with vast tracts of farmland undeveloped, which is a serious waste."

"So, we can no longer allow the Demon Clan army to slaughter these laborers. We need to change the mindset of all Demon Clan people, to let them distinguish between Dongsheng’s army and its civilians, to know that the army is dreadful, but civilians are innocent - this basic truth."

"But the sentiment among the people might be... after all, Dongsheng Empire invaded and slaughtered many of the Demon Clan; if we do not retaliate in kind, I fear..." Zisu was caught in a dilemma.

"As a foreigner, I dare not say that the hatred has passed and we should look forward. However, I hope you can understand one thing, and that is that we should strive for the living, not be constrained by the deceased. We must not forget those who have died, but the living, we should also treat well," Luo’er said.