Fortress 178’s sole existence was for the purpose of war. Therefore, it was destined to be different from the other strongholds ever since its emergence.
There were no shops selling a variety of things in the streets, nor were there any particularly well-dressed pedestrians. Some girls had already changed into long skirts for the spring season, but even their long dresses were made out of calico fabric.
The clothes of those in the fortress were very monotone and were mainly in shades of dark blue, dark green, or yellow.
At present, the textile dyeing techniques in Fortress 178 were still stuck at the most basic level. After wearing the clothes for some time, the color would start fading.
Just as Joyce had said, the Northwest was one of the most suitable places for growing cotton. However, there was a lack of that technology here. All of their focus was instead placed into developing their military industry, as well as trying their best to ensure that everyone had something to eat.
So, who would have the time to involve themselves with bells and whistles?
After Raphael left, Milo, Colton, and the others walked out of the building and carefully sized up this legendary fortress.
The pedestrians on the street turned to look at them when they saw them, because other than Milo, the group looked a little out of place.
Joyce had also changed into a long dress, but the blue dress did not look like it could be produced here in the fortress. Joyce said that this blue was called Tiffany Blue, and it was a very popular color back in the Central Plains, as a female singer had worn it before.
Milo thought there probably wouldn’t be celebrity singers in Fortress 178. The women favonovel.com saw in Fortress 178 were all carrying a pole with baskets on both ends just like the men.
Milo suddenly asked Colton, “How do you think Mr. Dublin will handle the Ultima Consortium?”
Colton raised his head and smiled. “You’re hoping that Fortress 178 will help you get your revenge?”
“That’s right,” Milo admitted frankly. “But if it’s not Fortress 178’s own decision, I don’t want to drag others down with me either. I can still manage a lot of things by myself.”
Milo thought that if Fortress 178 was unwilling to send in their troops against the Ultima Consortium and clear out the obstruction to the trade routes, favonovel.com would have to infiltrate the Ultima Consortium himself.
Anything Kenneth could do, favonovel.com could probably do as well.
Colton smiled and said, “Look at these pedestrians on the street.”
“Hm?” Milo was taken aback.
“Everyone’s taking the food in their homes out with carrying poles. But where are they taking it?” Colton asked.
“To sell?” Milo said.
“The farmers live outside the fortress, while these are normal residents, so why would they be selling their food?” Colton said with a smile, “They’ve gathered up all the food they stored away to donate it to the military of Fortress 178.”
“Why, though?” Milo was stunned.
He really did not understand military matters. He had encountered an Advanced Army Warfare Leadership skill user but did not have a Skill Duplication Scroll on favonovel.com to learn it at the time.
“This is Fortress 178’s preparation for war. All the food has been handed over to the garrison troops to be allocated during the war,” Colton explained with a smile. “If you’ve already decided on taking revenge against the Ultima Consortium, you can put your mind at ease. If Mr. Dublin hadn’t thought over it carefully, favonovel.com wouldn’t have asked me to come to the Northwest. He’s already made his decision.”
Fortress 178 sought to sell off their large mineral deposits to make the lives of the fortress residents better and obtain better military armaments as well. As such, they had to open the trade routes. But the Ultima Consortium would never allow all this to happen.
Why would they allow outsiders to sleep soundly next to their beds?
This was the inevitable outcome caused by the growth and development of an organization with a vested interest.
***
In a run-down meeting room in Fortress 178, a group of officers were arguing endlessly around a large sand table.
Harris shouted, “I’ve long disliked the Ultima Consortium. I’m sure everyone already knows those old fogeys at the Ultima Consortium have deployed their weapons and troops to face our Fortress 178. What do you think they intend to do? I don’t have to elaborate, right?”
“Everyone understands.” Someone said, “When I made a trip to the valley awhile ago, I discovered the Panaqua Consortium was also stirring up trouble there. However, Julius is not targeting our Fortress 178 in his schemes. All of his people have gone to attack the Radianz Consortium, leaving only the Ultima Consortium with a presence in the valley.”
“If we want to open the trade routes, it would be best to build it on the path that goes through Mt. Kamet. Wasn’t it a highway before The Cataclysm? That would be the fastest route to take. But Mt. Kamet is still being controlled by the Ultima Consortium’s bandits, while Mt. Papandayan to its north acts as the Ultima Consortium’s forward operating base,” Raphael analyzed. “So, even if we don’t attack the Ultima Consortium directly, we still have to take back control of the front line at Mt. Kamet and Mt. Papandayan.”
“How do we do that?” Harris replied, “We don’t have enough manpower. We can fight, but occupying the territories is a bit of a stretch. How many people would you have to deploy there to guard against the Ultima Consortium’s raids? And when the Ultima Consortium cuts off the retreat route at Mt. Kamet, the soldiers there will immediately be left to fend for themselves. Just thinking about it makes me despair.”
“That’s right, Old Barnaby’s argument makes sense. No one takes a long-term defensive position.” A burly man said, “The Ultima Consortium is right in front of us. Those bastards have become too restless in recent years and are constantly fixated on Fortress 178 being their imaginary enemy. In the past, we stood guard at Fortress 178 to defend against the western enemies. It seems they’ve already forgotten all about the kindness that we’ve shown them!”
For the whole night, the entire conference room was noisy as everyone chipped in with their opinions. It was heated.
Meanwhile, Peter stood next to the sand table and looked quietly at the terrain mapped out on it. The sand table covered the entire Southwest and Northwest and even included a small area of the Central Plains.
All of a sudden, someone said, “But what if the western enemies come again while we’re attacking the Ultima Consortium?”
Everyone started looking at one another. Harris hesitated and said, “They haven’t been here in 16 years. Wouldn’t that be too coincidental?”
The person who spoke up calmly said, “Because of the differences in our skin, hair, and ethnicity, our people have never been able to infiltrate their camp. By the same logic, they’re also unable to infiltrate our camp. Thus, neither side knows anything that’s going on at the other end, so how can you be so sure they won’t come? What if it’s really that coincidental? Then we’ll be stuck between a rock and a hard place.”
Fortress 178 had not been paying much attention to the Ultima Consortium in many years, but it wasn’t because they were willing to accept this hyena’s insolence right at their doorstep. Rather, they had a more important mission that left them unable to spread their forces too thin.
Harris and the others felt a little aggrieved. They had to accept that their mission came first.
The Ultima Consortium, the Panaqua Consortium, the Radianz Consortium, and even the Central Plains were not required to thank them for it, but a mission was a mission.
Suddenly, Peter said, “We will fight.”
The meeting room fell silent. Everyone could hear each other’s breathing. There was a glimmer in the eyes of Harris and the others as their cheeks flushed red. It was the rush of blood they would experience before every big battle.
Regardless of the points of view brought up in the meeting room, or how different all of their opinions were, only Peter’s words mattered.
Once Peter had made his decision, it meant that war was inevitable.
