Chapter Forty-One: The Indifferent Englishmen

Bang! Hu Hei and his partner pushed open the door of a tavern. After pacifying the provisional government of England, the soldiers and officers of the Song Empire finally received a rare opportunity to relax—a well-deserved reward from Sun Li for their arduous battles.

Naturally restless and fond of lively scenes, Hu Hei dragged along his partner and adjutant, Estes, to a tavern in an English city untouched by the ravages of war, hoping to unwind.

Sun Li’s strategy on the English Isle, aimed at striking at the capitalists’ wealth at its root, had been executed smoothly with the full cooperation of the Norman family. This approach had little impact on the common folk, as Sun Li’s main target was gold and other precious metals. Real estate holdings such as factories and villas were mostly sold at low prices to the Normans—considered a betrothal gift to Victoria.

The Norman family, with its deep-rooted influence and extensive connections in the former English Empire, quickly restored the ownerless factories and shops to operation, securing the livelihoods of the English commoners and enabling them to survive, albeit barely. To prevent widespread guerrilla resistance, Sun Li shipped in vast quantities of grain from the Song homeland. Thanks to the high yields of system-managed farmlands, the soaring grain prices caused by the war on the English Isle soon stabilized.

With bread on the table, the common people found at least a glimmer of hope. After the complete collapse of the English provisional government, resistance gradually waned. The English regarded the newly arrived Song Empire’s regular troops in red uniforms and the local defense forces in blue with cold neutrality—neither cooperating nor provoking these dreaded forces.

Thus, when Hu Hei and his comrade Estes stepped into the tavern, the previously boisterous atmosphere instantly fell silent. The English patrons, who had been loudly drinking and joking moments before, froze in place, casting fearful or conflicted glances at the distinctive red-shirted officers.

The English on the isle found themselves torn over Song rule. On one hand, Sun Li’s army was a foreign invader, and resistance was their rightful response. Yet the Song forces were overwhelmingly powerful, having crushed the English provisional government with ease. Anyone contemplating rebellion had to first consider whether they were willing to risk their own neck.

On the other hand, although Sun Li had occupied the entire island and declared it a fully integrated province of the Song Empire, the feared fate of being dragged off as miners never materialized—mainly because there were no valuable mineral deposits on the isle, and Sun Li found the orcs far more efficient miners than the often moody white men. Moreover, the influx of grain shipments had brought down the soaring food prices. Now, any Englishman willing to work could find food and employment. Sun Li’s large-scale construction of Song-style cities created a significant demand for labor.

Under the overwhelming military threat combined with the promise of a livable existence, the English were temporarily subdued. At least, the number of lunatics constantly plotting against the red-shirted troops dwindled. After all, people had to live.

The current English under Song rule were much like the Frankenians and Phonibos under the Dwarf Empire’s control—detached and indifferent to their conquerors, quietly minding their own affairs.

After securing the English Isle, Sun Li’s most significant policy change was to forgo immediately imposing racial hierarchy laws. The island’s wealthy elite had already aligned themselves with the Norman family, who controlled most assets, while the recruited personnel were chiefly soldiers and officials enjoying higher status. To avoid provoking the common people across Europe, Sun Li deliberately avoided establishing racial tiers. He had no desire to repeat the brutal urban warfare that had ravaged the English capital.

Sun Li often joked about this benevolent policy with Victoria, saying, “See how much I love you? I’ve even scrapped the empire’s long-standing national policies. Darling, shouldn’t you reward me a little? Hehe…” What followed was, of course, a story best left untold.

Returning to the present, Hu Hei and Estes, unfazed by the hushed tavern, approached the counter.

“Two large glasses of rum,” Hu Hei said, tossing a silver coin issued by the Song Empire onto the counter. The coin spun lazily, bearing Sun Li’s profile on one side and a golden dragon with the denomination on the other.

“No change needed,” Hu Hei generously waved his hand, picked up the drinks, and found a seat with his partner.

Under the stewardship of Zhuge Liang, the Song Empire never missed an opportunity to profit, and Sun Li, true to form, had his image stamped on the currency. Thanks to advanced minting technology, the coins were finely crafted with clear denominations, quickly becoming hard currency under Song rule.

In a society where the English still scrambled for copper coins, the value of a single Song silver coin was considerable—enough to buy two large glasses of rum with some change left over.

After taking Jinzhou, Sun Li had raised soldier pay to improve morale, setting different wage standards for local defense, police, and regular troops. Regular soldiers earned the highest pay, and as an officer, Hu Hei certainly did not lack funds.

“Looks like these English don’t exactly welcome us. The moment we walked in, they all shut up like we’re some secret agents of the imperial guards,” Hu Hei remarked, watching the wide-eyed English patrons.

“Hmph. These English often badmouth our government and army behind our backs. Seeing our uniforms, they scatter like mice when the cat’s around, pretending to be good children,” Estes scoffed.

Their voices, not lowered deliberately, carried throughout the quiet tavern, where most patrons overheard the disdain from the two red-shirted officers.

Suddenly, the tavern erupted. The initial silence, born from fear of the red-shirted soldiers’ reputation, gave way to pent-up anger. Surrounded by fellow Englishmen, the crowd could not swallow their resentment.

“They’re nothing but machines for killing! One day, you heartless bastards will meet your doom!”

“Yeah, what about the red shirts? They’re just heads and eyes like anyone else. One knife in, they’ll kick their last! Who’s scared of you?”

A group of bold, muscular men, emboldened by their numbers, closed in on Hu Hei and Estes, shouting defiantly.

“Thinking of starting a fight? Know whose turf this is!” Estes said, pulling out his flintlock pistol and aiming it threateningly at the approaching brutes.

Perhaps intimidated by the weapon or roused by Estes’s words, the English thugs halted, clenched their fists, spat out a few curses, and retreated to their drinks. At least they had some sense.

Seeing the English back down, Hu Hei and Estes had no intention of escalating matters. In such circumstances, causing trouble only meant trouble for themselves.

“Seems the English lower classes still harbor grudges against the empire. Even after feeding them, they show no gratitude,” Estes whispered cautiously to Hu Hei, mindful of their hostile audience.

“The empire conquered them by force. To win their true loyalty will take time. Our skin color and culture differ from theirs, but as long as we maintain absolute military might, these commoners can’t do much. Your words just now scared them off, didn’t they? At worst, they’ll grumble quietly. I trust that under the rule of our great Emperor Sun Li, these are but minor issues.”

Their conversation drifted back to their fervent admiration for Sun Li—the hallmark of the Song’s 100,000-strong regular army, whose unshakable loyalty fueled their endurance through heavy losses.

Sun Li, pleased with this zeal, carefully limited troop numbers to prevent ideological chaos. Exceeding that limit risked disastrous consequences.

Originally eager to experience English customs, Hu Hei found the tavern visit dull. After finishing their drinks amid wary gazes, he donned his military cap and left with Estes.

What Hu Hei encountered was common among Song soldiers: despite their leave, relations with locals remained cold, sometimes even hostile—understandable, given the English had lost loved ones to war.

Sun Li had long received intelligence on this neutral, uncooperative attitude. Unfazed, he intensified the imperial guards’ intelligence efforts. With plenty of system-recruited spies, he was prepared to impose strict police rule in the occupied territories if necessary.

Sun Li cared little for the sentiments of the lower classes; his only concern was preventing civilians from recklessly opposing him. Governance of the English Isle had long been entrusted to Norman family members and system officials. Sun Li’s focus lay elsewhere.

The contest for dominance over the European continent had only just begun.