Chapter 734: The Land of Fire in the Ice Plane
Chapter 734: The Land of Fire in the Ice Plane
The Ice Plane, known to players as the "Ice Plane," is roughly one-third the size of the Main Plane.
Just like in the Main Plane, humans are the dominant species in the Ice Plane.
Long ago, the Ice Plane was devoid of humans and inhabited only by native wild animals, much like the dinosaur era on Earth.
Later, ancient masters from the Main Plane, skilled in interstellar travel, discovered this plane. They transported a group of "ancestors" to the Ice Plane, with the mindset of not letting such a vast land go to waste.
These ancestors thrived in the Ice Plane, their superior intelligence allowing them to gradually become the dominant species.
Although one-fifth of the Ice Plane is covered in ice and snow, with extreme cold, there are still many regions near the equator that have a warm climate and abundant rainfall.
Most humans in the Ice Plane live in these regions, competing with other animals for survival space and territory.
...
The largest human nation in this plane is called the "Land of Fire," located near the equator. It is roughly one-quarter the size of the Golden Fleece Empire.
The name "Land of Fire" stems from the nation's citizens' fanatical and obsessive worship of fire, which they believe is the foundation of human survival against the harsh cold.
Fire is also the national totem of the Land of Fire.
However, the Land of Fire is currently far from peaceful.
In the eastern part of the Land of Fire, a massive peasant uprising is about to begin.
The root cause of this uprising is similar to those on Earth—ruling classes imposing heavy taxes and insatiable greed, leaving ordinary peasants with nothing but their labor. Under such high pressure, a year's hard work barely yields enough food to survive.
When a major disaster or famine strikes, the already strained social structure collapses instantly.
Peasants, with no food to eat, have no choice but to take up arms (farm tools) and leave their homes, robbing anyone who has food.
Thus, a peasant uprising begins.
...
In the central part of the Land of Fire lies a medium-sized city called White Stone City.
White Stone City has just endured the fires of the peasant uprising.
The city gates are wide open, and countless bodies litter the ground outside and below the city walls, with blood pooling everywhere.
Inside the city, the sounds of burning, looting, and women's cries fill the air.
Many houses are reduced to ashes in the raging fires.
The peasant rebels, dressed in colorful and makeshift outfits, celebrate their victory on the city's main streets.
In one hand, they wield shiny weapons; in the other, they carry "loot" stolen from the city's residents.
They show no regard for the lives of the city's residents, pouncing on any valuable items they see and chasing after any beautiful women they spot.
At the beginning of the uprising, the peasants revolted against exploitation, a just cause.
But gradually, they became lost in the gold and silver they looted, turning their weapons on fellow commoners, and the dragon slayers became the dragons themselves.
...
In a luxurious mansion at the center of White Stone City, the leader of the peasant uprising, Duke Glan of Flames, sits on the main throne, his brows furrowed in worry.
Below the main seat stand six trusted generals, all with grim expressions.
If Earthlings saw this scene, they would be puzzled—how did Duke Glan, a noble, become the leader of a peasant uprising?
The peasant uprising army should be rebelling against the nobles who oppress them, right? However, the situation in the Fire Nation is different from that on Blue Star.
On Blue Star, the gap between people is relatively small. Even a beggar like Zhu Yuanzhang had the chance to become emperor. However, in the Ice Plane, this is a highly martial plane.
The disparity in human strength in the High Martial Plane is immense. Ten thousand ordinary people, even with bows and arrows, cannot stand a chance against a single flying fifth-stage powerhouse.
Numbers mean nothing in this context.
In such a scenario, for a rebellion to succeed, it must gain the support of high-tier powerhouses.
Duke Glan, a powerful lord with a vast private army and ambitious aspirations, had long harbored dreams of replacing the emperor.
When the peasant uprising began, he eagerly contacted the leaders of the rebellion, using threats and bribes to bring them under his control.
He actively promoted himself among the peasants, offering them favorable conditions, and led the peasant uprising army to attack the emperor's direct territories.
...
Everything had been going smoothly for Duke Glan. He had conquered half the country and was on the verge of marching into the imperial city to unify the nation.
But after capturing White Rock City, a significant problem arose: their food supplies were running low, and winter was fast approaching.
...
Duke Glan looked at his trusted advisors, including the logistics chief, Hunt.
"Hunt," Duke Glan addressed him, "how much food do we have left?"
"Your Grace," Hunt knelt on one knee and respectfully replied, "our food supplies will last the loyalist army and the peasant uprising army for 40 days. If we ration it, we can stretch it to a maximum of one and a half months."
"One and a half months?" Duke Glan's frown deepened.
Food has always been a scarce resource in the Ice Plane. With the war halfway through and winter approaching, the scarcity of food resources became even more pronounced.
"Herman, what about the granaries in White Rock City?" Duke Glan turned to one of his generals.
"I'm sorry, Your Grace," General Herman knelt with a pale face, "the Sanger family, our long-standing enemies, burned the granaries before their fall. There is nothing left."
"All burned?" Duke Glan's voice faltered, his face turning deathly pale.
He had hoped that capturing White Rock City would give his starving troops a reprieve. Instead, it had nearly suffocated them!
"Gentlemen, the situation is dire," Duke Glan looked gravely at his generals. "The harsh winter, lasting four months, is just around the corner, and we do not have enough food reserves.
If we cannot solve the food problem within one and a half months, the peasant uprising will likely fail!"
The winter in the Ice Plane is far more severe than on the main plane or Blue Star. Temperatures can drop to minus 30 or 40 degrees Celsius, with snow reaching waist-high, even in the relatively warmer Fire Nation.
Such harsh conditions make it impossible to wage war. The only option is to store food and find ways to survive the winter, resuming the campaign in spring.
With their food supplies running low, this winter will be incredibly difficult to endure.
(End of Chapter)
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