In Isabel’s mansion, filled with idle rooms, Jiang Ye and Huan Yunhe found a tea room.
The tea table was transparent, with hexagonal grooves beneath it, neatly storing various colors of tea leaves, floral teas, goji berries, and ginseng slices. A gentle press would automatically brew a cup.
Huan Yunhe was quick, brewing himself a cup of lotus leaf tea. Jiang Ye prepared a chrysanthemum and goji berry tea for himself. The two sat facing each other.
“I’ve heard some things about you,” Jiang Ye said.
“I’ve heard some things about you too,” Huan Yunhe smiled. “If we speak broadly, we are people of the same era.”
Jiang Ye was taken aback. “You are also cryogenically frozen?”
Huan Yunhe nodded. “Yes, but I was born a few decades after you. When you were frozen, the Third War hadn't even begun to show signs, and humanity was still confined to that small planet. I was in the army during the Third War, and one of the first officers for humanity to join the Galactic Empire. Of course, that’s all in the past. I’m free now, retired from military service.”
Jiang Ye felt a surge of respect. This person truly had seen much of the world.
He could also roughly guess Huan Yunhe’s methods for selling planets.
First batch of officers, relics of an era, the people who worked with Huan Yunhe back then must have climbed to very high ranks.
Even Huan Yunhe’s former subordinates, and their subordinates, were now terrifyingly high in rank.
Relying on the connections of old comrades, Huan Yunhe could likely move planets.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ye suddenly felt a jolt. Was Huan Yunhe deliberately displaying his background, revealing information?
“Then your experience far surpasses mine,” Jiang Ye said. “This can’t be called the same era. I grew up pampered in an era of peace, while you were forged in the fires of war. It’s like the difference between heaven and earth.”
Huan Yunhe’s smile suddenly turned subtle.
“Perhaps you don’t understand the history after your freezing,” Huan Yunhe said. “Although we were fighting wars back then, that was a true golden age. Similar to Qin Shi Huang unifying the six states; there was fighting, there were deaths, but it was a period of strength.”
Jiang Ye was startled. “I really don’t know much about the Third War. Information and books about it are now forbidden… I’ve always been curious about that period.”
“I can tell you about it. The Third War was our ticket to join the Galactic Empire. After the Third War, humanity completely abandoned its home and ventured into space,” Huan Yunhe said with a smile. “We only had one planet, so only one faction could lead all of humanity into the Galactic Empire. At that time, the world was at war with itself, with everyone vying for dominance, regardless of the consequences. Because historical opportunities, once seized, are seized, and if missed, one would never rise again. Moreover, the losers would become fertilizer for the victors’ farmlands. Such a price was unacceptable to any side; it had to be a fight to the death.”
“I was just starting university then. The first month was quite normal, a relaxed and free campus life. In the second month, the great war suddenly broke out.”
“At one o’clock in the morning, the army arrived at our school in troop transport trucks. They originally planned to gather everyone on the sports field for speeches from the officers and the principal, calling on everyone to abandon their studies and join the army. But we students were quick. The trucks had barely stopped before we were scrambling to climb aboard. In less than half an hour, over a dozen trucks were full and drove away.”
“I will never forget that night. The dim streetlights, students rushing out of every dormitory building, many only wearing shorts. The crowd was desperately trying to board the trucks. No one organized this; it was entirely spontaneous. Everyone’s expression was like that of wild beasts. The students who got on the trucks howled with excitement like beasts, while those who couldn’t get on wailed like beasts on the ground.”
“After I got on the truck, I touched my hair and found it all standing on end. My hands were numb with excitement,” Huan Yunhe said. “I was deeply shocked. I suddenly realized that some fighting spirit was ingrained in our culture. Youngsters who were like pigs in their beds yesterday could spontaneously become part of the war machine today. In peacetime, we appear gentle and refined, but when the great tide of history arrives, we instantly transform into another kind of person.”
“I often thought later, were our ancient ancestors the same? When the time wasn’t right, they quietly farmed in small villages, living like rabbits their whole lives. When the time came, they’d drop their hoes and go to battlefields with millions of people, transforming into tigers and wolves. After fulfilling their historical mission, they might lay down their weapons, return to their small villages, and quietly grow wheat, continuing this for thousands of years.”
“At that time, the enemy lost air superiority. Their missile silos were all disabled by us within 24 hours. Our long-range weapons destroyed some of their major cities, but we also suffered heavy losses. Both sides were constantly launching satellites, and the launched satellites were continuously destroyed. In the end, countless space debris filled the planet’s orbit, glittering like mist in the night sky – all fragments of satellites. The battlefield became very strange. On one hand, there were advanced things like space fighters; on the other hand, the combat mode was like that of primitives. Because signals and other communications were cut off, beyond-visual-range combat ceased to exist, and everything relied on sight.”
“The army became the key to victory. The enemy attempted to bypass our defenses and launch a surprise attack, gathering troops to charge from the Arctic. This was their only chance. And I happened to be assigned to the Arctic Front Army.”
“My reinforced division had twenty thousand men, but over two million enemy troops, a hundred times our number, appeared on our defense front, including both living beings and robots,” Huan Yunhe said, taking a sip of tea. “For victory, we used some prohibited weapons, turning the Arctic into a living hell. Some unimaginably cruel things happened. As we fired our weapons, we were also terrified ourselves.”
“Especially after the decisive battle, when we saw the mountains of enemy corpses on the battlefield and witnessed the horrific state they were in after being killed by prohibited weapons, this fear reached its peak. Many soldiers suffered mental and psychological problems, and some, unable to overcome the trauma, committed suicide.”
“I almost did too. I didn’t sleep for five consecutive days and nights, my nose bleeding, my head splitting from exhaustion. But as soon as I closed my eyes, I saw those corpses. My commanding officer gave me a sedative, which saved me. After sleeping, I felt much better and had no major reactions while cleaning up the battlefield. Humans are indeed species capable of adapting to any cruelty.”
“Similar events to the Arctic occurred all over the world. To avoid psychological impact on future generations and to maintain stability, we decided after the war to seal away this history. History is written by us victors. Plato said that those who can tell stories are the most dangerous,” a wolf-like glint flashed in Huan Yunhe’s eyes, but he quickly returned to his kind smile. “I suspect, Mr. Jiang, you can guess the reason for this.”
Jiang Ye nodded.
He could indeed guess.
However, hearing it from someone who lived through it was still profoundly shaking.
“We’ve strayed off topic,” Huan Yunhe said. “Mr. Jiang, you didn’t seek me out to listen to my reminiscences, did you? Perhaps you have business to discuss?”