Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 762 - 755: Class Struggle

Chapter 762: Chapter 755: Class Struggle

"You can jest all you want, just stop messing with me!" Hu Daoke waved his hand, a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice. Clearly, he was already engrossed in the conversation.

Cheng Ziang laughed and then continued solemnly: "With the abandonment of the cooperation faction by the anti-cooperation faction, Mu Lansi’s fate was inevitably sealed. If he were to lead a quiet life, perhaps he could get a night’s sleep. However, it’s evident that Mu Lansi is not the type of person to stay out of trouble."

"Eh, isn’t Mu Lansi the heir to the Ronisca throne? Doesn’t he have any dignity in front of the cooperation faction?" Hu Daoke asked, frowning.

"What does being the heir matter? In present-day Ronisca, even the King’s words are not necessarily authoritative," Cheng Ziang said, after looking at him, "dignity is always earned through strength. Right now, Ronisca’s strongest military force is completely under Commander Mooer’s control. Unless he gives his consent, the King’s words are meaningless."

"Then why doesn’t he just become the King? If I remember correctly, isn’t Mooer related to Mu Lansi, like they’re brothers?" Hu Daoke asked, scratching his head.

"During the Shogunate period in Japan, the Shogun was the actual ruler of the whole country while the emperor was merely a symbolic figure. Ronisca’s situation is similar. Commander Mooer does not wish to be the King, he evidently has his reasons. However, there is no denying that currently Mooer has the strongest military force in Ronisca which means his words carry more weight than the King’s," Cheng Ziang used this as an example.

"Since Mu Lansi has already been abandoned, why doesn’t Mooer just get rid of Mu Lansi? This way, the King can only pass the throne to him. After the King’s death, he could rightfully become the King of Ronisca," Hu Daoke continued.

"When analyzing a situation, we should look deeper rather than simply at the surface level, focusing on the essence rather than the manifestation," Cheng Ziang replied with a smile.

"Are you mocking me again?" Hu Daoke’s face fell at Cheng Ziang’s smiling expression.

"Do you have a persecution complex? Why would I mock you unnecessarily?" Cheng Ziang responded helplessly.

"Anyway, I’ve gotten used to it. I guess you enjoy it too," Hu Daoke squinted at him and said.

"I won’t mock you, let me explain properly," Cheng Ziang shook his head, paused momentarily and continued, "Earlier, I mentioned that traditional conservative forces, or so-called feudal forces, back the anti-cooperation faction led by Mu Lansi. Like many countries at the dawn of the industrial age, these forces wield a strong influence on the decision-making process of the nation and even the king is a member of this power."

"As for the cooperation faction led by Mooer, their supportive force is the newly-emerged bourgeoisie. This force is inherently contradictory to the traditional feudal force, so it’s not surprising that conflicts arise between them," Cheng Ziang went on.

"Why is there a natural contradiction?" Hu Daoke asked.

"The important factors of production in the Industrial Age - capital, land, and labor force - are all controlled by the traditional feudal powers, underpinning their maintenance of the status quo. The bourgeoisie’s development relies on challenging that, putting them in an inherently antagonistic position. Of course, some feudal lords might realize the trend of the times and cozy up to the bourgeoisie, but essentially, they just transition from one kind of exploitative class to another. There’s no real fundamental difference," Cheng Ziang explained.

"Oh!" For once, Hu Daoke refrained from questioning and listened attentively.

"Traditional feudal forces in Ronisca are deeply entrenched. Even though the bourgeoisie control the military, they have yet to reach the point of being on equal footing with the feudal forces. Therefore, they have chosen a temporary peaceful coexistence for now. The reason why Mu Lansi hasn’t been dealt with immediately stems from this. He’s a representative of the traditional feudal forces, and without concrete evidence of his crimes, there’s no way for the bourgeoisie to act against him," Cheng Ziang said.

"Oh," Hu Daoke seemed to have an epiphany, "So, when we later reported that Mu Lansi was likely to commit treason, the cooperation faction in Ronisca saw an opportunity and cooperated with the headquarters to order Mu Lansi’s assassination!"

"Exactly," Cheng Ziang responded approvingly, then continued, "From the viewpoint of the headquarters, Mu Lansi’s existence is indeed redundant. They were concerned about what scandal he might stir up next. Therefore, they were eager to dispose of him first. When they saw this opportunity, they immediately allied with the cooperation faction in Ronisca, leading to our current mission."

"Mu Lansi’s treason is a serious crime. With this justification, the cooperation faction in Ronisca could kill him without fear of being questioned by the traditional forces," Hu Daoke stated excitedly.

"Hmm, it’s about right!" Cheng Ziang nodded with satisfaction.

"So what were you arguing with Reimer just now?" buoyed by excitement, Hu Daoke came up with a new question.

"That guy seems to have a bit of sympathy for Mu Lansi, a bit of sympathy for the suppressed traditional forces." Cheng Ziang shrugged his shoulders, turned his head, and said towards the bridge.

"Could he be one of the traditional forces?" Hu Daoke asked carefully in a lowered voice.

"He probably isn’t, after all, he managed to become the commander of the aerial fleet, he must have gained the trust of Commander Mooer. However, judging by his behaviour, I estimate that he is the kind of person I just mentioned, who has transformed from traditional forces into bourgeois forces, and therefore feels sorrowful about the death of Mu Lansi and for the traditional forces." Cheng Ziang said cautiously.

"Let’s get back earlier then. This guy’s stance isn’t firm; he might find some excuse to kill us halfway through. We would die wrongfully then." Hu Daoke said in his lowered voice.

"Hmm, I think so too, but right now we have to rely on them to transport us back, so better not to make a big fuss and risk startling the snake." Cheng Ziang nodded in agreement.

"So, what’s our plan?" Hu Daoke didn’t quite understand his meaning.

"We’ll hold our forces and keep quiet. Don’t forget we have Feng. If this girl goes off, not a soul on this ship would survive, excluding us." Cheng Ziang comforted him.

"Ah, yes, I almost forgot about her again." Hu Daoke said, scratching his head.

"Alright, enough talk. Let’s get back and see how your leader is doing. This guy really keeps us on our toes." Cheng Ziang said somewhat helplessly.

"Don’t be so hard on the leader. He’s simply focused on completing the mission and didn’t consider other factors." Hu Daoke couldn’t help but stand up for Luoer.

"Old Hu, after fighting side by side for so many years, we can be considered as the elite special forces in the Otherworld, can we not? But now we can only do trivial work because the headquarters is worried about our safety. Who do you think we owe this to? Among our Advance Team, who’s been hurt the most?" Cheng Ziang asked, looking at him.

"It’s not fair to say that. How do you know the headquarters is concerned about the safety of the Advance Team just for the sake of the leader?" Hu Daoke rebutted.

"Don’t forget he’s the little prince of Ilanadale. Once Princess Nina ascends the throne, he would be the legitimate successor. Why else do you think the headquarters attaches so much importance to him?" Cheng Ziang said.

"But he has a sister!" Hu Daoke blurted out.

"Uh," Hu Daoke’s words made Cheng Ziang pause too. After choking for a while, he sheepishly said, "Luoer is a boy, after all. He’s got more claim than Luoya."

He said this without confidence because he was well aware that in Ilanadale, unlike Earth, any heir, male or female, held a claim to the throne.

If the headquarters was worried about Luoer for being the little prince of Ilanadale, then now, Luoya, the little princess, was at Haiya Academy too. So, even if the headquarters lost Luoer, they still have Luoya as a bargaining chip, right?