Chapter 208: Shubanel Declaration
Once emerging from the flames, the Collegoton regional forces were immediately met with the bullets the revolutionary army fired. The regional forces couldn't even put up a fight. The majority of the soldiers were killed on the spot, some retreated back into the flaming streets to escape, while others dropped their weapons and surrendered.
The fight between the Collegoton regional army and the revolutionary army in Shubanel ended in victory for the revolutionaries. This wasn't simply a battle where a smaller force defeated a larger one. In the old city center created by the Full Tailed class, defeating a military force that fortified the class society was greatly symbolic for the people.
Sarcho said to Dain, "Did you intend for all of this to happen?"
"Of course," Dain replied. "A slum would have been more fitting than a wooden residential area. The streets there are more complicated. But to succeed in this operation, we would need to evacuate the residents. There are many in the slum who can't even properly care for themselves...so wouldn't it be better to burn the wealthy district instead?"
Sarcho had no choice but to agree. When the revolutionaries' victory and their full control over the city became known, the attitudes of the captured mayor and nobles changed dramatically.
The Danly Union Kingdom was at war, but in regions like Collegoton, where past histories were cleanly erased, the regional army's power wasn't that strong. The regional army was primarily organized to suppress small-scale rebellions within species groups, so there weren't any plans put into place for the regional armies to cooperate, build a front line, or take over each other's positions.
The mayor assumed that it would be a long time before the next troops arrived, considering the defeat of the first round of the Collegoton regional army and the capture of the carrier pigeons’ nest.
The revolutionary command, centered around Dain, pressured the mayor to agree not only to the initial proposed conditions, but also to an additional declaration.
The revolutionary command recognized the mayor's authority to govern Shubanel on behalf of the emperor of the Union Kingdom and therefore, they insisted that the mayor also approve this declaration on behalf of the nation's head of state. Upon reading the content, the mayor trembled with fear, but the command showed no signs of compromise. In the end, when the command intended to take the mayor's family as hostages to threaten the mayor, it was Sarcho who managed to persuade the mayor.
Sarcho said, "Even if you sign this, the emperor won't kill you."
The mayor, who was a Gnoll, said with drooping ears, "I…I know that too. The emperor will surely know I was threatened. Apart from that, I'll face some punishment, but I'm not afraid. Yes, I'm even prepared for death."
"Then what are you afraid of?"
The mayor replied, "What comes after death, what else?"
What the mayor feared was the Angry One. The Union Kingdom was established by none other than the Angry One, and the current state of the Union Kingdom was also according to the will of the Angry One. Therefore, the creation of this class-based society must also be in accordance with their will.
It was known that the afterlife of the Angry One was a harsh place. Sinners had to endlessly labor to atone for their sins. Naturally, those who defied the god’s will would face the harshest punishments.
Sarcho said, "Then I would receive the greatest punishment."
"Aren't you afraid of the Angry One?"
"I am," Sarcho replied. "But if this really goes against God's will, then the Angry One's blade would sever my head right now, before I even make it to the afterlife."
Sarcho hit their chest that was beneath the priestly robes. "Don't you understand? This is the will of God. The Angry One always spoke of struggle, and this is that struggle."
Sarcho, who was a priest themself, thought this theology was nonsense to the point that Sarcho was feeling humiliated, but it was enough to sway the mayor’s heart.
The mayor then signed a declaration that began with:
First, all beings, whether they have tails or not, are equal, and this is an innate right that can’t be taken away by another. Equality means...
The Shubanel Agreement, or Shubanel Declaration, made by the revolutionary command and the mayor spread throughout the region of Collegoton, along with the news of the revolution in Shubanel.
Events that followed were just as intense as the revolutionary battles in Shubanel. Compared to Collegoton’s regional army that attacked Shubanel, which was merely a battalion, the entire regional army was a regiment. While the regional forces were spread across important locations in Collegoton, the unusual movements in Shubanel were already known, which prompted the commander of the regional army to gather the army together.
However, this time, the revolutionary army did not prepare for battle, and that was because of the Shubanel Declaration.
The success of the revolution in Shubanel and the common sympathy expressed through the declaration caused an explosive response across the entire Collegoton region. Volunteers for the rebellion and those wanting to join the revolutionary army poured from the surrounding areas.
Given that the regional army had only previously faced small-scale rebels, they were unprepared to have a war against Shubanel, and as time progressed and they observed the situation, the revolutionary army grew in size and soon outmatched the regional forces.
Once the revolutionaries were armed with weapons produced in Shubanel's munitions factories, it became extremely difficult for the Collegoton regional army to execute any operation on their own. Of course, the commander of the regional army considered collaborating with regional armies from other areas, but the revolutionary command acted quickly.
The revolutionary command used the Shubanel Declaration as a basis, claiming they had established a revolutionary government, received from the mayor. They persuaded the Collegoton regional forces to agree to this revolution. Although it was essentially a threat, the regional forces, unable to immediately get help from other regional forces, surrendered to the revolutionary army.
The Collegoton regional forces were disbanded and reorganized under the revolutionary army. Now, the revolutionary army had a force big enough to rival and win against standalone regional forces, and the Shubanel Declaration spread beyond Collegoton to the entire Union Kingdom.
The revolutionary command began to rule over Shubanel and Collegoton as proxies. They established a revised constitution, set up a temporary revolutionary assembly, and personally punished those who should have been punished but had been spared due to their noble status.
For some, it was a terrifying period, but for others, it was a time of liberation from oppression. Volunteer vigilantes ensured the city's functions didn't stop and maintained peace during the night, and workers who didn't directly participate in the revolutionary army began working in improved conditions. In each factory, new worker unions were established to represent the workers' voice, wages increased, and rest hours extended. Wages that were unpaid were compensated, and workers who had been fired got their jobs back. These worker unions promised to continuously improve the working environment.
***
At Hegemonia's castle…
"...Therefore, the revolution that began in Shubanel in the Collegoton region is causing the most significant ripple effect."
The description of the Shubanel revolution, following the Rubail revolution in the east and the Delaf revolution in the south, ended.
In the case of the Rubail revolution, it started from a notorious slave labor camp. The god known as the One Who Stands Behind from this camp turned out to be the Devil of the Empire, Night Sky, and the god received great response. Until now, the so-called Devil, a moniker given by the Union Kingdom, was now being treated as the only savior to those who had been persecuted. Of course, Hegemonia and Alma knew more about this than anyone else.
The characteristics of the Delaf revolution were a bit different. Slaves, who were traded by slave traders, became the main force, and it was widely known that they were mainly supported by the Empire's intelligence agency. In fact, there were rumors of an intelligence agent who had been undercover as a slave. Their arguments had a strong egalitarian tendency.
In the case of the Shubanel revolution, neither the Devil nor the Empire was involved. It arose from workers demanding improvements to their working conditions, and the aggressive response pretty much added fuel to the fire.
When the fifth apostle, Alma Alloy, finished speaking, Hegemonia, who was looking at the screen in front of them, nodded. It wasn't a particularly meaningful report.
Alma had been granted some power from Hegemonia, which was the ability to control the system window, and if there was something really urgent and important to communicate, she could inform Hegemonia through such controls.
However, Hegemonia was already reviewing the tasks they could do themself, and at the same time, wanted to hear solutions from the apostles about the current chaos.
The only one not in a rush to go to the battlefield was Alma.
Hegemonia said, "What should we do, Alma?"
Alma pondered before replying, "We can't just leave Collegoton as it is. If you cannot show your power directly, we need to unite the regional armies of the Union Kingdom."
"But the regional armies in the east and south are facing other revolutionary troops in their regions. Even if we somehow gather the northwestern regional army, could we defeat the revolution in Collegoton?"
"If I take command, we will definitely..."
Hegemonia shook their head. "Unless they are influenced by the Devil's power, we can't get involved."
"They too are influenced by the Devil's power. They just haven't abandoned the name of the Angry One..."
"You're wrong, Alma."
"Pardon?"
With a hint of frustration, Hegemonia said, "They would have done the same without a god, so whether or not the Devil is there has no bearing. If they even slightly sense my involvement, they'll turn against me and cling on to that Devil. And that's exactly what the Devil wants."
Although Alma couldn’t really understand, she had no choice but to accept the god's words.
Alma said, "However, the winds of revolution won't only harm our Union Kingdom."
"What do you mean?"
"I've heard that news from the Union Kingdom is spreading to other continents. If the hearts of revolution truly aren't caused by the Devil, then not only the Ronante-Oroban alliance, but also the Black Scale Empire will be affected."
As Hegemonia raised their head to look at Alma, Alma felt like she had finally grabbed Hegemonia’s attention and continued, "The Empire tries to practice so-called egalitarianism, but it's not much different from our Union Kingdom. Although it has reduced, there are many Lizardman nobles..."
"I'm aware of that information. Get to the point."
"Right. If we use the Fang agents currently operating in the Empire and cultivate a revolutionary force with them, we can surely strike a blow to the empire."
Hegemonia shook their head. "It's unavoidable that you get late news since you only have limited power, but not anticipating this was your misjudgement."
"Pardon?"
"Just a while ago, this was published in a newspaper from Orazen of the Empire."
Hegemonia casually reached out, creating a newspaper out of thin air, grabbed it, and threw it toward Alma.
Alma picked the newspaper up.
His Majesty the Emperor has proclaimed a parliamentary system.
Is the wave of egalitarianism also hitting the empire?
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l