CHAPTER 1924: CHAPTER 1917: REFUGEES BREAK IN

Though Oklo Laf and Brolan haven’t reached the level of a third-class soldier, the rift between them was indeed present and quickly caught by Luo’er.

According to Luo’er’s plan, the resources provided by Lipei to the Western Corps are fixed, and won’t be increased arbitrarily. In other words, the supply for a hundred thousand people would not change even if another hundred thousand joined. The two hundred thousand would have to share the resources meant for a hundred thousand.

But the question is, do the original hundred thousand agree?

Earth’s industrial products are very popular in Otherworld; all kinds of canned meats and vegetables satisfy Aud Army soldiers’ imaginations of delicious foods.

Even though Odelanqi commands a million troops, their logistics are not particularly impressive.

Although Odelanqi’s territory is mainly plains, its food self-sufficiency rate is not high, and oftentimes it still relies on imports from Earth.

This is reflected in military matters where the ration standard for Aud Army soldiers is indeed much lower than that of Lipei’s Defense Force.

Lipei relies on industrial nations for sustenance as a city, requiring almost endless supplies, and its soldiers eat well. Canned foods, which Aud Army particularly loves, are completely regarded as emergency convenience foods by the Lipei Defense Force soldiers, to be opened only under dire circumstances.

Not only does the Aud Army fall short compared to the Lipei Defense Force, but they even can’t compare to the Lipei civilians in the resettlement area. Although the place is crowded, the supply of various resources is complete.

The cafeteria provides large quantities of satisfying, delicious meals, and many Lipei people have fallen in love with this centralized settlement life, even stating they don’t want to return to the villages.

In short, what the Aud Army faces is a powerful industrial nation city. Thus, don’t underestimate the Lipei Defense Force despite their lesser numbers; when it truly comes down to fighting, they could hold their own.

The country’s mission for Luo’er is to hold Lipei at all costs. This allows Luo’er to rely on a continual stream of resources to conduct political operations and manipulations.

Originally, Oklo Laf was happy to have it all to himself, and the hundred thousand Aud Army shared that happiness. But with the arrival of a new hundred thousand and Brolan, everyone’s happiness started to fade.

Thus, in their eyes, these hundred thousand weren’t reinforcements for their ally but rather enemies coming to split their interests.

Such sentiments were widespread within the Western Corps. The original Aud Army soldiers didn’t want their interests halved, which naturally led them to reject the newly arrived fellow soldiers.

But not halving was practically impossible.

With Brolan’s arrival, the Western Corps’ secret agreement with Lipei was about to be exposed. In this situation, if all the resource supplies were swallowed alone, Brolan and the new hundred thousand would surely have objections.

So, Oklo Laf was faced with a dilemma: either share with Brolan or give up the resource supply from Lipei.

Or, why not simply get rid of Brolan.

Such a dreadful thought gradually surfaced in Oklo Laf’s mind.

In the first two days Brolan arrived, everything was fine, as if nothing had happened.

The Western Corps continued to acquire resources from within Lipei each day and told Brolan and others that these were looted from within Lipei.

In the end, this approach reached its limit in no time.

Because the new hundred thousand Aud Army truly believed their words. Seeing their comrades acquiring resources from within Lipei every day, they also started having corrupt thoughts.

In the Command Room, the liaison officers of the Lipei Defense Force were actively operating the communication platform, documenting the intelligence gathered by scout teams on paper.

One liaison officer, after recording a report from an Advance Team, took the paper and loudly said, "Team 1735 reports suspicious personnel found in the village of Moonlight Spring, seventy-five kilometers southwest of the main city. Requesting further instructions."

After he finished speaking, a cartographer took the paper from his hand, glanced at it, and respectfully handed it to Baiyue, then started placing icons on the large map.

"Moonlight Spring?"

Luo’er hesitated for a moment.

"Oh, I remember," Cheng Ziang said with arms crossed, "The village has a moon-shaped little lake, hence the name Moonlight Spring. But honestly, the lake is mostly full moon-shaped; it only becomes crescent-shaped during dry season."

"That’s not what I was asking."

Luo’er shook his head, looking up and squinting at the map.

"You suspect that the Aud Army has entered Lipei’s territory again?" Cheng Ziang asked.

Baiyue glanced at Luo’er and put the paper on the desk in front of him, then turned back to the liaison officer and said, "Maintain surveillance and keep reporting."

"Acknowledged!"

"Moonlight Spring is over twenty kilometers away from the supply point we gave the Aud Army. If it is really the Aud Army, that would be unacceptable." Luo’er nodded, murmuring to himself.

"If it is the Aud Army, maybe your idea will be realized," Cheng Ziang said as he walked over to him.

"Hard to say, it might just be Oklo Laf’s subordinates messing around." Luo’er said shaking his head.

"Do you need me to step in?" Cheng Ziang suggested.

"Not for the moment," Luo’er shook his head, "We are still unclear about Brolan’s background; we can’t act blindly."

After about half an hour, the liaison officer got up and loudly reported again after processing the messages, "Team 1735 reports that upon reconnaissance, the suspicious personnel lingering in Moonlight Spring are external refugees, numbering around thirty. Requesting further instructions."

"What the hell, it’s those vagrants again," Cheng Ziang sighed helplessly and waved, "Let Team 1735 evict them; Moonlight Spring is an occupied village, they can’t just barge in and settle as they please."

Luo’er stared at the map, lost in thought, and after Cheng Ziang finished speaking, he cleared his throat and solemnly said, "Have the transport team leave some supplies for them on the road, then send them off, warning them not to enter Lipei’s territory without permission."

"Understood!"

Luo’er was well aware of these refugees’ origins, so his approach was relatively gentle.

Since Lipei declared itself a semi-autonomous area, due to an open policy and industrial-level welfare, it attracted numerous immigrants.

During Lipei’s years of construction, almost daily, one to two thousand people entered Lipei, applying to become a part of Lipei, but most left empty-handed.

Headquarters hoped to control Lipei’s population size at around fifty thousand, absolutely not exceeding one hundred thousand, which resulted in the intentioned immigrants from Otherworld leaving mostly empty-handed, and only the exceptionally lucky had the chance to become a part of Lipei.

Back then, Lipei’s government immigration quota policy almost triggered ethnic clashes.

After several years of immigration and construction, Lipei no longer required large populations, so the pace of absorbing immigrants noticeably slowed down.

However, many people were still unwilling, hanging around Lipei’s borders, seeking the chance to join Lipei.

Such people grew in numbers, even forming several towns along the border, ironically boosting the local economy’s development.

Lipei people sometimes complained about frequently leaving their hometown, being forced to relocate to resettlement camps, and possibly being drafted to fight at any moment.

But as they say, "those who can’t have always yearn, while those favored have their way."

These complaints from Lipei people appeared as a form of ironic jest to those unable to join Lipei.

Those seeking refuge in Lipei were, besides some scheming merchants and middle-class seeking advanced lifestyles, more often ordinary people with nowhere else to go.

They included tenant farmers, small vendors, and even slaves.

Moreover, their races were diverse, including mixed breeds, native Elves, Dwarves, and even the Human Race.

Having suffered much hardship in Otherworld, they were always yearning for a happy life.

Without a doubt, Lipei was their ideal utopian place.

These poor people loitered at the border, working odd jobs to earn their keep, just waiting for Lipei to open up an immigration channel once more.

With the outbreak of the Sacred War, Lipei began fortifying and clearing the fields, making some people see hope.

Thus they stealthily sneaked into Lipei, settling in villages and towns left behind, trying to become part of Lipei by squatting.