Chapter 3: The Imperial Edict of Death (Part 2)
He really needs to think about it.
Since that day when the gunshot rang out at dawn, he felt his soul soaring up, watching with his own eyes as his body fell softly in front of him on the slope, two blood holes in his forehead and seven orifices bleeding profusely, extremely terrifying. His soul was like a feather drifting in the wind, helpless, floating alone in the dark yet bright universe, finally getting lost somewhere deep in space. When he realized he had woken up again, he found that his soul had entered another world, another person's mind, and what made him even more incredulous was that the person's name was also Yang Suofeng, which left him speechless and at a loss for how to explain it.
What's even more terrifying is that during the space-time transformation, although he lost his original body, his memories didn't have any omissions. Everything from his past life was vividly clear, including the memory of himself bleeding from nine orifices after the gunshot. The memories of that unfortunate vessel were also completely preserved. For a time, he simultaneously possessed two sets of memories from different worlds, with nearly four centuries separating them. These two vastly different memories almost drove him mad.
However, at the same time that he felt extremely strange, there was a kind of fresh stimulation stirring his almost dormant soul, as if something was attracting him and making it difficult for him to let go. In that small courtyard of less than 300 square meters, he struggled to adapt to a life with different memories and tried hard to merge the two completely different memories together, lest he suffer from mental fragmentation.
However, the integration of memories does not mean that the character's personality will be completely integrated. As the saying goes, "the world is easy to change, but one's nature is hard to move". The Yang Suofeng from his past life was calm and collected, brave and decisive, knowledgeable and experienced, but the Yang Suofeng in this world had become weak and closed off due to his long-term status as a hostage. Although he tried hard to use his former decisiveness and calmness to eliminate his current weakness and closure, one year's time was obviously not enough, so unintentionally, he would still occasionally reveal his shameful weakness and closure.
At this moment, he can only face this familiar yet strange world with the identity of a prisoner who has just escaped from prison. He reluctantly accepts the fate of Yang Suofeng, who was once weak, closed, and depressed, and strives to change him, turning him into a calm, brave, and decisive person who is self-reliant and lives on in this world.
However, he is not familiar with the world he is in now. To be precise, Yang Suofeng, who had not occupied his soul before, did not understand this world thoroughly enough. He does not know what this world is called, perhaps it should be called the Anlucara World. The vast land he is on is called the Yilan Continent, and to its north, there is another vast continent called Erofu, while to its east, there is a slightly smaller continent called Yi Yun. The Yilan Continent and the Erofu Continent are separated by the vast North Ocean, not adjacent, with only a few island groups in between that can serve as stepping stones for naval passage.
While the Yelan Continent and the Iyun Continent are also separated by the turbulent waters of the Lingshen Ocean, they are connected through the Firedrake Peninsula. If one considers the Lingshen Ocean as the boundary, then the Yelan Continent and the Iyun Continent would resemble a butterfly's two open wings, with the larger wing on the left (Yelan Continent) being much bigger than the right wing (Iyun Continent), which is only about a quarter of the size of the left. The part where they are connected, the Firedrake Peninsula, is like the body of the butterfly.
There are over a dozen countries and regions on the continent of Yilan, with highly developed civilizations. The continent of Elro is inhabited by barbarians, with no confirmed nations or political divisions. The continent of Yi Yun lies between the two, with some civilized nations and nomadic tribes that roam and plunder, as well as uncivilized barbarians. Yang Shuang Feng's hometown is located on the western part of the continent of Yi Yun, in the beautiful plains of Menis, at the northeasternmost tip of the empire, overlooking the inland sea. Although Menis belongs to the territory of the empire, it is separated from the mainland by the vast ocean of Lingqiao, and can only be a remote overseas territory. His family is the lord of a certain piece of land on that plain, enjoying good reputation and authority. However, according to the imperial decree, as a guarantee for the exercise of power, he has been imprisoned in this magnificent hall since the age of thirteen, completely cut off from contact with the outside world.
It has been seven years since he left the familiar plains of Menissi, and everything is different now. He doesn't know what the situation is like there now, nor does he even know if his hometown has been affected by the war or if it's already in ruins. From the vague news in the newspapers, the rebellion that broke out and spread in Menissi five years ago was very severe. Miners, slaves, and farmers who lost their land all rose up, as did various non-Tang ethnic groups such as the Semites and Akkadians, who were eager to return. The nomadic tribes on the Blood Highlands, such as the Simons and Valas, were also galloping and brandishing their swords, eyeing a big move southward. Every force living in Menissi has already been drawn into that brutal war, while the surrounding countries are watching with bated breath, like a pack of wolves eyeing an isolated little sheep, ready to pounce at any moment.
Despite the empire's strict news blockade, which did not allow any newspaper to report on messages from the Menis region, Yang Songfen still knew that the current Menis region had completely collapsed. The empire not only lacked the ability to control it but also had a somewhat self-abandoning feeling. Since the three central army corps were defeated in the rebellion, the empire decided to let go and no longer managed it. This undoubtedly made the rebel forces in the Menis region even more arrogant and domineering. The long-lost "Sargon" head image and slogans regained widespread support in the Menis region, with a momentum that seemed to split this land from the Tangchuan Empire's territory. "Sargon" is the oldest ruler of this region, sometimes directly translated by inland scholars as "king". This word had disappeared for nearly fifty years, but now it has returned to the mouths of local people again.
In the face of such chaos, even if I could return to Memphis, what could I do?
He thought of the crystal-clear diamonds in the Xiangchuan Road, the sapphires and rubies that shone brightly in the Chongqing Road, the warm and round Hetian jade in the Zhenchuan Road, the lush forests in the Huchuan Road, the endless fields of golden rice in the Qingchuan Road, the iron and copper mines in the Zichuan Road, the shiny black coal and endless cotton fields in the Yangchuan Road, and he felt his blood boiling with excitement.
Mnemosyne, how rich you once were, how soul-stirring.
At that time, General Xiao Mohe was willing to go through the vast ocean and thousands of miles to conquer these rich products. The Tang Empire's soldiers went forward one after another, and after 34 years, they finally achieved the empire's long-cherished wish and successfully incorporated the Manas region into its territory. However, as time passed, 40 years have passed, and these products that were once proud of the Manas people now have different owners.
They no longer belonged to the empire from then on.
