Chapter Twenty-Four: The City of Gaul (Part Two)

“Move aside! Move aside!” As soon as Wei Wuji and Laiade entered the city gates, they saw the crowd ahead hurriedly parting to either side of the road. A large group of cavalry in plate armor thundered past, charging out through the gates.

“They’re heading out to wipe out the small revolutionary detachments that have appeared in the countryside,” someone nearby whispered. If the four infantry regiments were responsible for offensive operations, then the cavalry regiment, with its swift response, was charged with eliminating revolutionary squads that infiltrated the outskirts of Gaul City.

“It seems our comrades have arrived. Perhaps the Leader has sent someone to meet us,” Laiade said excitedly, but the next moment his voice fell, “But unfortunately, there’s still no news of Cecily.”

Wei Wuji walked on with a stern face. “I don’t care about all that. I must find Cecily. I promised my friend I would.”

“I understand.” Laiade hurried to keep up, agreeing, “Miss Cecily is Mr. Hegel’s daughter. Our revolutionary group is not without conscience or loyalty. We highly value unity and brotherhood. Mr. Hegel’s daughter is naturally our comrade as well. I will do everything in my power to find her and bring her safely to Mr. Hegel, so their family can be reunited.”

Wei Wuji nodded in satisfaction. Though he fancied himself able to move unhindered in this region, after witnessing several hundred modified guns fire on him in the Great Hall, he’d had a headache ever since. And that was only a reinforced battalion; the city itself had two regiments of musketeers, and according to Laiade, the most formidable were the eight bronze cannons mounted on the city walls, each shot rivaling a seventh-circle area-of-effect spell. This was the main reason the revolutionary group had never dared assault Gaul City directly. Thus, Wei Wuji realized he needed a guide like Laiade, someone who could help him avoid direct conflict with the garrison.

“What’s that?” Laiade suddenly stopped, speechless, and pointed at the wall ahead. There, several guards were tearing down notices and portraits, and the woman depicted on the poster bore a striking resemblance to Cecily.

“Let’s go see.” Wei Wuji and Laiade approached.

“What are they tearing down?” Laiade quietly asked a bystander who had also stopped to watch.

“Wanted criminals—put up the day before yesterday. They say she defected from Valencia, along with her parents, to join the revolutionary group.” The passerby shrugged.

Wei Wuji recalled what Cecily had told him: perhaps you are strong enough that no one can defeat you, but you cannot change how others see me. He couldn’t help but say, “Perhaps it’s a mistake? Why would such a lovely young lady defect? It makes no sense. I’ve been to Valencia—it’s prosperous and beautiful. What could the revolutionary group offer her? Maybe she was forced.”

The passerby didn’t reply immediately, only glared at Wei Wuji with anger. When the soldiers tearing down the portraits had gone, he shook his fist and said, “Is joining the revolutionary group supposed to be something shameful? Don’t think every place is as wealthy as Valencia or Heldasin. At least not here. Valencia is the capital, full of fat-bellied merchants and politicians, and the hypocritical, shameless priests. Heldasin has unique sea trade routes. But here in Gaul, we have nothing but the constant threat of orcs, the covetous northern neighbors, and disasters. Yet our taxes aren’t a coin less!”

“It’s outrageous,” Laiade sighed.

His words only fanned the passerby’s anger. “Yes, it’s outrageous! The politicians in Valencia never consider these differences. Listen, I’ve heard our esteemed Prime Minister intends to raise taxes again. The city’s magistrate and the garrison commander must be thrilled—they’ll take the chance to line their own pockets.”

After the passerby explained in detail, Wei Wuji understood the source of his anger. The Gaul region was a special part of the Landia Republic—its uniqueness was obvious from the military alone. While Landia had reformed its army into central divisions and city-based national militia battalions, Gaul’s garrison still used the old system. Since the days of the Tianlun Dynasty, this had been a region fractured by aristocratic power. The city’s magistrate was elected by the local nobles, representing their old privileges. The central government, far away and distracted, turned a blind eye so long as the city guarded against orcs and the Lot Empire.

After the Republic was founded, decades of effort by Hualenhite had brought most regions firmly under central control, but Gaul remained an exception. The old nobles’ armies kept their traditional structure; only a portion had been forcibly disbanded for strategic reasons, with the First Division stationed here for oversight.

A temporary compromise was reached: the First Division generally did not interfere in local affairs, except regarding its three basic duties. Their supplies were provided locally, so in practice, if there was violent resistance to taxation, the First Division would help the old nobles. In this region, where the old aristocracy still wielded considerable power, the nobles had long seen that, as the central government grew stronger, Hualenhite would eventually strip them of all influence here. So, while their days lasted, they grabbed all they could.

The passerby had already said that Gaul’s economy lagged behind the central and eastern regions, where the capital lay, let alone the increasingly wealthy southern trade ports, yet the tax rate was the same. Worse, the old nobles, desperate for money, shamelessly raised local taxes under the pretext of supporting the western defenses and supplying the First Division, while most of the money went into their own pockets, with only a fraction actually reaching the army.

With such heavy taxes, natural disasters, war with the revolutionary group, and the great Church extracting its own tithes—one of its privileges—life in Gaul was truly bitter. The reputation of the Commineson Revolutionary Group steadily improved, as they would seize property of the wealthy, labeling them landowners or rich peasants (though most people didn’t know the difference—both simply meant “those with money”), and distribute it to the poor.

Officially, the revolutionary group was called the West’s largest bandit gang, but in the people’s hearts, even if they were bandits, they were righteous ones—a world apart from the Bearfolk’s previous profession. The Bearfolk’s willingness to be absorbed into the revolutionary group was proof enough: most just wanted regular meals and clothes without risking their lives as bandits, but even they respected the Commineson revolutionary group’s reputation.

“Just watch—if this keeps up, even I might take my wife and children to join the revolutionary group,” the passerby said angrily. He likely meant it as a vent; from his words, he was at least literate, unlike the many illiterate or barely literate farmers who now strongly supported the revolutionaries. If not for the greed of the old Gaul nobles, people like this passerby might have felt differently about the revolutionaries.

“Wait.” Wei Wuji suddenly thought of something and called after him, “Why were they tearing down the posters just now?”

“That means there’s no need for the wanted notices—they must have caught her,” the passerby replied.

“What?” Wei Wuji and Laiade were stunned.

The passerby eyed their expressions suspiciously. “You don’t know her, do you? The wanted woman—her whole family. I heard they caught a woman today, but whether it’s her or some other female revolutionary, who knows? Either way, it’s nothing good.”

“Do you know where they would usually be held?” Wei Wuji asked, unable to hide his urgency.

The passerby was instantly wary. “Who are you, exactly?”

“Oh, no, you misunderstand! We’re just curious,” Laiade covered awkwardly. As a member of the Commineson Revolutionary Group who had infiltrated near Gaul to gather intelligence before, he knew Wei Wuji’s directness could only arouse suspicion.

“Ah, well, I have things to do at home. I’d better be going,” the passerby said, now thoroughly spooked.

After a few steps, he paused, turned back, and muttered quietly, “I hear that important prisoners are held in the magistrate’s underground dungeon, but you’d be wise not to try anything. The place is heavily guarded, and I hear they have cannons.”

With that, the passerby hurried off as if afraid of catching some disease.

PS: Thank you to the friend who sent a reward.