Chapter 158: Chapter 135, On the Verge of Collapse
Is something not going well?
Perbov appeared somewhat perplexed.
At this moment, Henry was also patient enough to explain.
He first pointed to himself and said, “I am the wedge appointed by the Governor to Rubbish Town. If the Governor wants Rubbish Town, I am obliged to do so. It would be best if I can settle things before the Governor’s army arrives. Then, the army would only need to come over and help enforce the New Alliance Government’s system in Rubbish Town. If it comes to the point where the army has to fight, wouldn’t that be a sign of my incompetence?”
After some thought, Perbov nodded slightly, seemingly in agreement with Henry’s idea.
Then Henry moved his hand to point at Perbov:
“As for Major Sir, you have received the Governor’s orders to come to this wilderness to sweep through all the settlements, relocate the populace, and even those settlements that remain must change their allegiance and accept the complete and thorough rule of the New Alliance Government. You must flatten all opposition. You have done an acceptable job, but not the best. Within these two hundred kilometers, there is Rubbish Town, a peculiar existence. It gathers a hundred thousand permanent residents, another hundred thousand dependent on Rubbish Town’s operations for their livelihoods, and yet another hundred thousand armed scavengers and adventurers who enter the High Tower ruins on a long-term basis…”
“Whether in terms of population or the importance of raw material extraction, this is the most critical place among all the settlements around Revival City. And it’s in an awkward position at the edge of your mission range. The Governor indeed did not expect you to take down Rubbish Town with just eight hundred soldiers, but if you could do it, wouldn’t that turn what was merely a passable test score into a perfect one?”
After serious contemplation, Perbov had to admit that he was indeed persuaded by Dennison Henry.
There was a key point Henry didn’t know—didn’t he himself clearly understand that he came here to accumulate merits and smoothly take over from Yan Fangxu, who would eventually become the Commander-in-Chief of the whole army, and become the Brigade Commander of the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade?
Right now, he indeed went by the book and completed his assignment acceptably. Nearly ten settlements within two hundred kilometers had surrendered to the New Alliance’s rule, and the Battle of the Three Pools was won with a minimal cost, almost completely annihilating the bandits that occupied the area. No one could say he hadn’t done well enough.
But Perbov himself always felt it wasn’t enough.
Now, with Henry putting Rubbish Town before him, he couldn’t help but salivate.
Rubbish Town… He still remembered when he was just a miner in the PoDong Society, living a life truly devoid of daylight, Rubbish Town was a place of might far away. The entire Abandoned Cave Society’s next meal depended on whether the traveling merchants of Rubbish Town were willing to pay extra for the ore produced by their society.
For him, the presence of Rubbish Town, even more so than the closer Revival City, weighed heavier.
And now, could it be that he, this former mining team leader, had the chance to lead his troops and seize such a place?
But beyond his thirst for recognition, Perbov still managed to stay rational.
Even if Rubbish Town could be considered within the Governor’s two hundred kilometers of autonomous activity, he still remembered not to act rashly.
It’s no small settlement. As Henry had said, within the sphere of Rubbish Town’s influence, there were likely two to three hundred thousand people, and due to its unique industrial ecosystem, nearly everyone was armed. The armed scavengers and adventurers who licked blood off their blades amounted to a total of around a hundred thousand.
They were indeed not an army, but their equipment might be even better than those of robbers, and their combat experience and will were also stronger.
If things went wrong and led to a military conflict, he wouldn’t be able to win such a battle with just his eight hundred men.
Not to mention, there was a chance he could get mired in the swamp between Rubbish Town and the Green Skin Orcs.
Thus, he stuck to his previous stance: “I need further authorization to take action.”
Henry smiled slightly: “Of course, we’ll speak together once we connect the signal later.”
His objective had been achieved.
Even if Perbov dared to come along now, he wouldn’t dare let him just follow along. He didn’t have the audacity to encourage the army to do something beyond their authority without a military order.
Too taboo, for even if he succeeded, it might lead to the Governor finding a reason to have him killed afterward.
He wouldn’t make such a mistake.
Comming to see Perbov, he indeed wanted to borrow the military’s communication radio.
Of course, beyond that, his greater hope was to persuade Perbov himself.
Executing orders versus Perbov’s own proactive engagement were two entirely different scenarios.
If Major Perbov could also speak up during his subsequent report to the Governor, increasing the chance of success, that would be even better.
But he hadn’t expected his ultimate plan to fall through completely.
Because once the radio connected with Revival City, he received news.
The Governor was no longer in Revival City but had set out with Colonel Tadeusz and the 2nd Infantry Division towards Rubbish Town.
The Governor had left a message.
“I hope my army will only have to deal with those Green Skin Orcs when they arrive.”
This was something he had heard once before when he met with the Governor, but hearing it this time felt different.
He turned to Perbov: “Do you understand what the Governor means?”