Black Iron’s Glory

Chapter 538: The Hicks Prisoner

The so-called wildfire program, named after the wildfire. It was Colonel Boquer who, on a commercial expedition to the colonies of the countries of the West Coast, saw a sense of wildfire caused by the accidental burning of wildfires by the local population and, on his return, drew up such a wildfire plan on board the sea-going vessel. Because of more than 200 years of colonial domination on the West Coast, colonial populations had accumulated countless bitterness and resentment that, like the drought-season mountain forests, only one Mars was needed to turn into a blazing fire.

This is a plan drawn up three years ago by Colonel Boquer, which means that the overseas autonomous territories can set aside a wildfire at random to spark a wave of national liberation and statehood in the colonies of the West Coast countries. Three years ago, however, the colonial and overseas autonomous territories of the West Coast countries enjoyed very harmonious relations, precisely during the most frequent periods of commercial exchanges. The Autonomous Territory, believing that the outbreak of war in the colonies of the countries of the West Coast could not affect commercial gains, was at the mercy of the wildfire programme.

Claude was extremely impressed by the fact that it was his own teenage friend who had written a plan to start a local riot and even deliberately asked Colonel Boquer what had led him to come up with the idea of plotting such a plan. When the Kingdom itself heard the joint declaration of the eight West Coast colonies imposing a ban on overseas self-governing territories, Claude understood that the day had finally come for the wildfire programme.

Colonel Boquer had told Claude what he had seen and heard in the colonies of the countries of the West Coast, which, unlike the Overseas Autonomous Territories, practised a semi-female semi-slavery that combined racial discrimination. As long as they are mixed, they are born servants. Generally speaking, colonists from the Farea continent, that is, white people, are the most noble, followed by skin colour as distinct and the deeper the skin colour, the lower the status.

The more than two hundred years of colonial history on the West Coast has been a long history of conquest and oppression for indigenous peoples. Now the West Coast is long gone from purebred natives to a mixed race, like the Pamigals, the Langstobuks, the Russmans, the Gibgots, the Doramanas and the Marcharines.

In the eyes of the peoples of the Farea continent, the Nubian continent has been a barbaric place, a new colonial continent fit for prisoners in exile. Just as the colonies of the West Coast countries, even after more than two hundred years of colonial history, continue to be, in the eyes of their mother-national populations, adventures for wealth, where mixed ethnic groups are discriminated against untouchables.

In the case of mixed ethnic groups in various colonies, various colonial Powers had adopted discriminatory policies, such as non-enlistment in the armed forces and non-admission as magistrates. The only thing these mixed peoples can do is sell their labour in exchange for cheap pay to feed their families. They are endlessly exploited and squeezed by the colonizers, either as slaves or servants, and even if they own their land, they must bear a heavy tax burden and labour...

For more than two hundred years, however, there has been no shortage of wonderful stories of love and friendship between colonists and mixed indigenous peoples. Just like Colonel Bockard recommended to Claude, Tezzy Singer. Nora Taganem. His father was a hereditary baron of the Morosic kingdom, in love with his own hybrid maid, Tez Singh. Nora Taganem's mother eventually had Tez Singh. Nora Taganem is the crystal of this hybrid love.

Tezzy Singer. Nora Taganem's father was brave enough to leave his possessions and title to his half-breed son before his death. Just a good wish doesn't produce the same good reality, as a mixed race, Tez Singh. Nora Taganem was discriminated against because of his colour, and ended up treating himself as a Pamigal, generating the idea of overthrowing colonial rule to achieve national liberation and statehood...

Colonies on the West Coast, like Tezzy Singh. There are many hybrids like Nora Taganem, some because of generations of domestic vendettas, some because of personal vendettas and some because of ambitious generations, as Colonel Bok Al said. Especially the hybrids who become smugglers, who travel north and south, are knowledgeable, have financial resources, are courageous, and have a high reputation locally.

The intelligentsia and eminent men of these mixed nations are deeply dissatisfied with the colonial status quo, and they all want to change the colonial situation, even if it is not like Tez Singh. Nora Taganem's quest to overthrow the path of colonial domination to national liberation and statehood was also desirable in order to give his people a relatively fair and non-discriminatory status and status.

Claude was well aware that the eight West Coast colonies had imposed a ban on overseas self-governing territories, and it was clear that those eight countries had reached an agreed attitude towards overseas self-governing territories or formed a unified alliance. Even if the troops of the overseas autonomous territories attacked the colonies of one of those countries, there must have been a joint declaration of war by the eight countries.

Even though the Thunder Regiment and the Rock Regiment in the Autonomous Territory are truly invincible, it is not a good choice to take one enemy or eight. If the eight colonies on the West Coast were as large as the Nasri region, perhaps the autonomous military regions could try and make it easy. Anyway, Claude didn't see much of the fighting power of those colonies in the eight West Coast colonies. According to information gathered over the years, the fighting power of these colonial garrisons is basically no less than that of the five residues of war and the arming of former overseas territories.

The problem is that the eight West Coast colonies are too large, more than ten times the size of the entire Nasri region and more than four times the size of the entire Overseas Autonomous Territory. Such a large territory, even if the Thunder Legion pushes it all the way, it takes more than six months to get from this side to that side, putting tremendous pressure on logistics supplies. Most importantly, there is no force to go where the garrison takes over...

Another key issue is that the total population of the eight colonies on the entire West Coast is more than 60 million. After more than two hundred years of colonial history, the mixed nations of these colonies naturally consider themselves human beings in this country. If the Overseas Autonomous Territories waged war and were to be regarded by the mixed population of those colonies as invaders, and the eight colonial Powers mobilized their populations against the autonomous territories, the war would not be easy to fight.

As a crosser, Claude naturally understood the power of national resistance and would not step into the pit to kill him. As General Skerry put it, the Overseas Autonomous Territories are to declare war not only on the eight colonies of the West Coast, but also on the eight coastal colonies of the southern part of the Farea continent. Without the mobilization of nearly a million troops and the time spent in five or six years, the war will not bear fruit. So the Autonomous Territories cannot afford this war, nor can they afford it.

A declaration of war against any colonial Power or an attack on the colonies of any country on the West Coast would mean that the Overseas Autonomous Territories would take one enemy, eight or even sixteen. Together with the current situation in the eastern part of the Farea continent, the Autonomous Territory was unable to draw back the strength of both regiments. Therefore, in the face of the ban issued jointly by the eight West Coast colonies, the overseas autonomous leaders can only tolerate this tone first, acquiesce to and accept this result...

However, that did not prevent Claude from preparing to implement the wildfire plan that Colonel Boquer had devised three years earlier, sparking riots within the colonies of the West Coast countries. Sometimes things are so interesting that if the Overseas Autonomous Territories declare war or launch an offensive, the eight West Coast colonies will inevitably fight back against their enemies.

However, the Overseas Autonomous Territories had endured that result and posed no threat to the colonies of the countries of the West Coast. If at this time a colony of a country on the West Coast has civil unrest, it is not supported and helped by other colonies, but rather by glorious bystanders and fomented fire, and even neighboring colonies are likely to secretly assist the rebels, hoping that the bigger the fire, the better the opportunity for the spectators to take advantage of the fire...

All the strong fortresses were the easiest to achieve from within, so Claude decided to launch a wave in the colonies of the West Coast countries to overthrow colonial rule and achieve national liberation and independence. Whether things are done or not, it is more affordable for an overseas autonomous territory to declare war than direct troop contributions. If successful, those independent States would need the support of their overseas autonomous territories to consolidate the unity and integrity of their territory and would also become dumping grounds for autonomous territorial commodities.

As is now the case with the Nikantha nation, which occupies the original hinterland colony of the Kingdom of Hicks, despite its nominal autonomous status, their country has no manufacturing industry, no unified planned agriculture and everything is in pristine production. All their goods need to be imported from overseas autonomous territories, be it food, daily goods, luxury goods, weapons, alcohol, etc., are the sales markets for overseas autonomous territories goods...

Claude has given Bok Al responsibility for the wildfire program, and the first option is the colony of the Kingdom of Morosik, which finances Tez Singh. Nora Taganem, the hybrid baron, established the Pamigal Liberation Front to assist it with large quantities of armaments and weapons and to form a Pamigal division. He also dispatched veterans of the autonomous territories to the colonies of the Kingdom of Morosik in the name of their employment, helped and directed the Pamugal armed forces to complete their training as soon as possible, embarked on an armed uprising and embarked on the struggle for national liberation and independence.

Colonel Boquer told Claude that the ban imposed by the eight West Coast colonies on overseas self-governing territories was actually the best trigger for local riots. The colonial population of the West Coast countries had become accustomed over the years to a variety of cheap daily commodities from overseas autonomous territories, and it was now the worst step taken by colonial local authorities to ban people from using them and to introduce high-quality national commodities.

Just as the same person is used to everyday cake, now it says no cake, only black bread tablets. Even more disheartening is that the price of buying a piece of black bread is perfectly enough to buy the two previous cakes. In such circumstances, it is easy to make the colonial peoples of the West Coast feel unfairly discriminated against, especially the mixed population of those places, who are the most victimized…

The same wave of national self-reliance would soon be unleashed in the colonies of the countries of the West Coast, provided that a torch of national liberation and independent nation-building was set on fire in a colonial site. At that time, the eight colonial Powers in the southern part of the Farea continent would have to constantly invest their reinforcements in maintaining social order and order in their own colonies. When they were all exhausted, the Overseas Autonomous Territories could wield the ultimate victory by waving their troops off the West Coast under the banner of helping colonies to achieve self-determination for their peoples.

It was a little premature to talk about overseas self-governing troop contributors, and in fact Claude did not want to use the strength of the autonomous military regions to participate in the national self-reliance riots unleashed by the colonies of the West Coast countries. But this does not prevent Colonel Boquer from giving those rebels one last glimmer of hope, so that even if they fail, they remain confident in their future, believing that the Overseas Autonomous Leaders will contribute to helping them realize their dreams.

After two days of exchanges between Colonel Boquer and Claude, there was enthusiastic readiness to travel to the colonies of the West Coast countries to implement wildfire plans. Since the colonies of the West Coast countries have now tightly sealed off their own maritime areas to curb smuggling of merchant ships, it will take Colonel Boquer about a month's journey by road to reach the Nikancha country and then from its internal borders towards the colonies of the West Coast countries.

This is also why Claude sent his brother Major Blovik's wolf tooth task force to Bok Al in order to keep him safe. Also find a messenger for his brother, Browick, so he doesn't get drunk on his sister Anna's ranch every day. In addition, it was intended to open a land smuggling route to the colonies of the countries of the West Coast and to transport goods from the Nikancha countries from overseas autonomous territories to the colonies of the countries of the West Coast.

Claude's return to the Overseas Autonomous Territories has yet another important matter to be dealt with personally. That was more than half a million Hicks soldiers who had been captured in the colonial war and had been sentenced to five to eight years of hard labour, most of whom had now completed their service and needed to be freed.

The problem is that the Kingdom of Hicks has not yet signed a truce peace agreement with the Kingdom of Ovilas, and theoretically the two countries are still at war. Even if the border between the two countries is not adjacent and there are two other kingdoms between them that cannot be attacked and defended, they are nevertheless enemies of war.

As a result of traditional wars, it is generally the losers who send messengers to the winners to find peace, the winners need to express their generosity and negotiate amicably between the two sides to reach a truce and peace agreement. But the problem now is that the Kingdom of Hicks will not admit defeat. Even if Machid III lost nearly a million troops in the face of the Autonomous Territory, he still stuck around his neck thinking he had not lost the war, and even described the withdrawal of more than 100,000 Hicks soldiers from the Nasserley region as a winning strategy...

Under these circumstances, it is not possible for the Kingdom of Ovilas to send envoys first to the Kingdom of Hicks to negotiate a truce peace agreement. Nobody knows if that mentally ill McGidd III would consider himself a winner for that reason, putting forward the same conditions for a series of big lion openings. Let there be no truce and peace agreements, and the Kingdom of Ovilas will suffer even greater humiliation. So, the two ridiculous countries are still in a state of war. Let's just hang there...

The problem, however, is that this situation creates a great deal of confusion for the Overseas Autonomous Territories to dispose of the defeated Hicks prisoners, who should be released and freed at the end of their hard labour. However, the two countries were still at war and the Overseas Self-Governing Territories were unable to repatriate those prisoners of war and would continue to allow them to remain in the Territories, granting them temporary identification and allowing them to move freely within the Overseas Self-Governing Territories.

The prisoners released from Hicks in the previous two years had been very popular with the farms of the overseas autonomous territories' major factories, all of them young labourers, and had filled the shortage of human resources for the autonomous territories to expand their production. It's just two years later, many Hicks prisoners like to live in overseas self-governing territories, and some of them are lucky enough to be son-in-laws of their own bosses who want to settle naturally and get the same treatment as immigrants from the Kingdom of Ovilas...

Lieutenant Colonel Mason Hughes sent Claude a lot of information about these Hicks prisoners, which General Scully had considered when dealing with the release of these Hicks prisoners. Hundreds of thousands of Hicks prisoners were running around the Overseas Autonomous Territories, basically without violating the laws of the Autonomous Territories, and most of them wanted to be naturalized and settled, and they wanted to own a piece of land and personal property of their own.

There are also hundreds of thousands of Hicks prisoners and manufacturing factory farms all over the Autonomous Territory that have signed long-term labor agreements, all staying in one place unwilling to move and getting to and from work on time. This part of the Hicks captives, whose future is uncertain, have learned and mastered a certain amount of skill, hope to remain in self-government for a peaceful life, or hope to return to the Kingdom of Hicks.

More than 200,000 Hicks prisoners were also eager to return to the Kingdom after the war had ended, and the autonomous military regions had deliberately formed several infrastructure teams to arrange their work and pay them the corresponding salaries and salaries. Railway lines continue to be built by the Autonomous Sovereign, and these infrastructural teams are the main building blocks. Because they earn more and more in infrastructure than they do in the Hicks kingdom, these Hicks prisoners are fairly emotionally stable, hoping to end the war early so they can return to the Hicks kingdom to meet their families...

Claude is now embarrassed that more than 100,000 Hicks prisoners have written their applications in the hope of reuniting them with their loved ones. There are people who want to naturalize and settle, who want to go back and bring back their families, who also earn a lot of money in the autonomous collar and want to bring it back to make their families happy, and who want to go back and meet their families and work from the ruling collar. You can press down when there are few people, but now there are more who want to go back, and the Autonomous Territory can no longer ignore the views of these released Hicks prisoners...

Claude rubbed his temple and had a headache, which was a real challenge for the Autonomous Territory, and no one knew what would happen if these prisoners returned to the Kingdom of the Hicks, after all, the two countries were still at war. Claude doesn't want these prisoners to go back and be armed as enemies of the kingdom and the Overseas Territories...

“Well, you send someone to notify these Hicks, let them choose their own representatives, set a quota of 2,000, let these two thousand go back to the Kingdom of Hicks first, and if nothing happens, let the other Hicks go back...” Claude made a decision.