Rebellion
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
On April 15, 1991 of the Saint Calendar, a fast horse galloped into Frand Harbor, heading straight for the City Hall. Upon reaching the entrance, the rider fell to the ground, and the stationed guards hurried to help him up.
Breathing heavily, the rider, clearly exhausted from the urgent ride, gasped, "Rebellion! Rebellion! The damned peasants have rebelled. I need to see the mayor! I need to see the mayor!"
Hearing the word "rebellion," the guards did not dare to delay. After a thorough inspection, they quickly escorted him into the City Hall.
Half an hour later, the internal guard and militia forces in Frand Harbor quickly assembled and headed towards the city gates. They were astonished to find that the city gates were closed. Since Lord had eradicated the pirates and enforced strict measures, the gates had never been closed during the day.
Something must have happened, many thought to themselves.
...
"Here is my preliminary plan…"
At the naval base in Frand Harbor, Austin was discussing recent military plans with the naval commanders.
Recently, the Alden Town headquarters decided to launch a two-pronged attack. With the army occupying half of Emden's territory, they hoped the navy would also show its prowess in this war. Naturally, Austin fully supported this.
What displeased him was the conservative expectations from the headquarters, merely assigning the navy to sail upstream along the Wes River, blocking the various inner river docks in the Maltz Kent region.
This seemed like a slight to him; in Austin's view, only capturing territory like the First and Third Army Regiments would demonstrate the navy's capabilities.
He decided to divide the navy, which had six sail warships, into three fleets, each with two ships.
The commander of the First Fleet would be Major Quik;
The commander of the Second Fleet would be Major Yarman;
The commander of the Third Fleet would be Major Tirpitz.
The plan was for the First Fleet to patrol the offshore waters of Frand Harbor, while the Second and Third Fleets would advance east along the river. Quik, who had gained prominence in exploring new routes, could let others shine this time.
Just as they were about to discuss the operational details further, a soldier hurriedly entered the meeting room.
"Major, Mayor Theodore requests your immediate presence at the City Hall for an emergency meeting. It's very urgent, you need to go right away."
Austin asked, puzzled, "Very urgent?"
"Yes, that's what the messenger said."
"Alright, I'll go immediately."
...
When Austin arrived at the City Hall's conference room, many people were already gathered—Mayor Theodore's administrative advisor Old Peter, the local recruitment station chief, and other officials, indicating that the meeting had been in progress for some time.
"Major Austin, we have a major issue!"
Seeing the naval commander enter, Mayor Theodore quickly stood up.
"Mr. Mayor, please calm down. What's happened?"
Austin took a seat and asked slowly.
"The salt miners have rebelled!"
"What? Rebellion?" Austin stood up in shock.
"Yes, Mr. Biden just sent word with this news."
"Who is Mr. Biden?"
"Mr. Biden is the local gentry from Fabe Village, and he is also the tax collector for that area."
"I'd like to understand the details first."
Then Mayor Theodore explained the specifics of the salt miners' rebellion.
According to the message brought by Mr. Biden's servant, the incident started with a tax collection a few days ago. As usual, Mr. Biden sent people to collect taxes. However, the salt miners, seemingly having taken some wrong medicine, ignored Mr. Biden's sacred authority granted by the lord and refused to pay taxes. Mr. Biden, fulfilling his duty and authority, sent more people to press for payment. Some words may have been impolite, but to everyone's surprise, the stubborn miners resorted to violence, injuring half of the tax collectors, and those who didn't escape were either missing or dead.
Not only that, but the rioters also surrounded Mr. Biden's residence. Under their incitement, many villagers and serfs from nearby areas joined the rebellion, swelling their numbers.
The rioters broke into Mr. Biden's mansion, looting, destroying, and killing indiscriminately. Many inside the mansion were brutally killed.
In desperation, Mr. Biden had to flee through a secret tunnel in his home and hide temporarily in a secluded farmhouse. He sent a servant on a swift horse to report to the City Hall in Frand Harbor.
The general situation was as described. Austin listened in silence, not believing that Mr. Biden was as innocent as his servant had described. Such tax collectors were often nothing but bloodsuckers, shifting their tax burdens onto the common people. A tax collector who didn't exploit their power was not qualified in his view.
The naval commander asked, "So, Mr. Mayor, what do you need from us?"
Mayor Theodore replied, "I request the navy to send sailors to help maintain order."
Austin frowned, "For such potentially combat-related tasks, I need to consult the headquarters. According to the Earl's regulations, the navy and the army are for external conflicts, and internal disputes should be handled by the internal guard forces."
The Mayor shook his head, "Frand Harbor only has a small internal guard unit. There are only a few hundred militia members, and according to the messenger, the rioters may have gathered more than two thousand people from nearby villages. I don't feel confident in our chances. Only the navy's firearms and cannons can quickly quell this. Major, you don't need to worry about violating regulations. I've already sent someone to Alden Town for approval. We should receive a response by tomorrow. In the meantime, please help us defend Frand Harbor. If the rioters' numbers grow and they attack here, it will be problematic. Once we get the approval, you can then move out to suppress the rebellion."
Austin nodded, "That's no problem. After all, Frand Harbor is the base of the navy, and it's our duty to protect it. I will also send scouts to investigate their details."
He stood up, "The situation is urgent. If there's nothing else, I'll return to the base to arrange for the defense of the city."
"Thank you, Major."
After Austin left, Mayor Theodore let out a sigh of relief and slumped into his chair.
"It's been so long since anything like this happened. Why does it have to happen during my term? These damned rioters are truly despicable."
Old Peter, sitting beside him, said, "Mr. Mayor, we shouldn't jump to conclusions. The salt miners here have always been orderly. There must be some unknown grievance behind their actions."
"No matter the grievance, looting and killing are unacceptable! And with us at war with the usurper, this only complicates matters! These fools have no sense of the bigger picture or right and wrong!"
Mayor Theodore said angrily.
(End of the Chapter)
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