novelaction Chapter 1399 The Severed Fate of the Nation
Chapter 1399 The Severed Fate of the Nation
Waaah—
With a slight motor whirring sound, the door slid open silently to both sides.
A young officer in a crisp service uniform, wearing lieutenant epaulettes, stepped forward.
He looked very young, probably not even 25 years old, with a clean face, sharp and capable eyes, and a gait with a composure rarely seen in the post-apocalyptic world.
His gaze swept over Li Guangzhong without any hesitation, finally settling on his face.
"You must be Li Guangzhong of the 2nd Division of the Yue Kingdom, right?" The voice was not loud, but clear and forceful, with a businesslike indifference.
Like a drowning man grasping at a piece of driftwood, Li Guangzhong's spirits lifted, and he nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes! It's me! My name is Li Guangzhong! Major Staff Officer of the 2nd Division! I've come here on orders—"
"The commander has agreed to see you."
The lieutenant interrupted his tense and ingratiating self-introduction, his tone completely flat.
"Follow me." With that, the young lieutenant staff officer turned and walked inside.
Li Guangzhong paused for a second, then hurriedly bent down to pick up the heavy duffel bag from the ground. His movements were so large that the bag dragged on the ground, making a somewhat harsh scraping sound.
The lieutenant stopped in his tracks.
He turned his head, his gaze falling on the black duffel bag in Li Guangzhong's hand, and his brows furrowed unconsciously.
"Wait a moment!"
"The commander said he wants to see you. You can't bring anything irrelevant in. You're going to the command post, not your local rural market."
Upon hearing this, Li Guangzhong's hand holding the bag froze in mid-air, and even the ingratiating smile he had been trying to maintain on his face froze.
"But...but sir, this contains yellow—"
"What's yellow about it?"
The lieutenant interrupted him again, his tone finally showing a hint of impatience, but more than that, it was a sense of entitlement that made Li Guangzhong feel utterly ashamed.
"Only you guys still treat this thing like a treasure." These words struck Li Guangzhong like a thunderbolt.
He opened his mouth, as if trying to explain something, to clarify the weight of the bag, and to prove his "sincerity."
But he couldn't say anything.
Because after the lieutenant finished speaking, he didn't even glance at him again, but turned around and walked towards the door, leaving behind only a brief, command-like statement:
"Leave it by the door. Someone will collect it."
Li Guangzhong stood still, holding the bag, like a clay sculpture.
What he sensed at that moment, and what the other party outwardly displayed, was disdain for "common things" like gold and gems.
But in reality, that short sentence contained disdain for him and for the entire Yue Kingdom behind him.
The look in his eyes, the tone of his voice, the matter-of-fact attitude—it was no different from looking at a primitive man from a backward civilization, carrying a ridiculous "treasure" and trying to exchange it for something.
There was no anger, no hatred, no deliberate humiliation, and not even hostility.
Just... indifferent.
A kind of indifference based on absolute power disparity, a condescending attitude, and an almost instinctive indifference.
It's like watching an ant struggling to drag a grain of rice.
There wasn't even "contempt" in that gaze—because contempt still requires taking the other person seriously.
At this moment, Li Guangzhong finally understood completely:
They were the 2nd Division, Commander Nguyen Van Hung, and the heavy load of gold and jewels he carried in his arms—
In the other party's eyes, they don't even have the right to be "scorned".
They were just a trivial "problem" on the border that needed to be "dealt with".
That's it.
If placed before the end of the world, Le Quang Trung, as a major staff officer in the regular army of Vietnam, had received rigorous political education and military training.
Faced with such blatant contempt, even without a substantial counterattack, we must at least respond verbally. This is a matter of military dignity and national pride.
But now—
Now, all he can do is slowly bend down.
The movements were slow, because the bag was too heavy, and also because his back seemed to be bearing something invisible at that moment.
He gently placed the heavy black duffel bag on the ground at his feet.
The bag landed on the concrete floor with a dull thud.
Then, he straightened up, and the stiff smile on his face reappeared.
This time, there was no trace of ingratiation in his smile; only a complete, numb, resigned humility remained.
He nodded repeatedly as he watched the lieutenant's retreating figure.
"Okay, okay! Put it at the door! Put it at the door!"
His voice, in an attempt to sound congenial, had taken on a slightly hoarse and high-pitched quality.
"Of course! Of course!"
The lieutenant did not turn around, but continued walking towards the door.
Li Guangzhong strode forward and followed.
For some reason, he walked with a slight limp.
Perhaps his legs went numb from squatting for too long, perhaps the bag was too heavy, or perhaps... when he bent down to put the bag down, the invisible spine that supported his last bit of pride as a soldier finally bent completely.
He didn't look back at the bag again; he didn't dare to look, nor did he want to.
Only that black, heavy duffel bag lay quietly on the cold ground.
Inside the bag, a hundred pounds of gold and a box of gems remained silent.
They were once wealth, hope, and the "hard currency" that Commander Nguyen Van Hung and several other division leaders relied on to survive in the end times.
At this moment, they are just a pile of "raw materials" that need to be put into the warehouse, labeled, and waiting to be melted down.
That's it.
Just like their senders.
That's all...
...
Led by a lieutenant staff officer, Li Guangzhong passed through the second protective door and entered a corridor about twenty meters long.
The corridor is not wide, about three meters wide. The walls on both sides are made of light gray metal panels, with soft LED light strips embedded at intervals. The light is even and bright, without any glare.
The floor underfoot is anti-static flooring, which makes no sound when you step on it, and only provides a very slight, soft feel after shock absorption.
The corridor was deserted. As the two walked along, a burst of white mist suddenly appeared at the front of the corridor. As if to prevent them from panicking, the somewhat aloof young lieutenant walking in front explained:
"Don't be nervous. It's routine disinfection when entering and leaving the command center. This spray is harmless to humans."
Upon hearing this, Li Guangzhong's tense emotions were instantly calmed, and he kept reminding himself in his heart.
"I am a soldier of Vietnam, representing the face of Vietnam. I must remain calm! I must remain calm!"
Thinking of this, he subconsciously straightened his back.
His years of military service had instilled in him a habit that made him instinctively want to stand tall in such situations.
It must be said that although the Yue Kingdom was very backward in its national development, the patriotism and national self-esteem at the grassroots level, especially among the common people, were exceptionally high.
If it weren't for the fact that Zhou Bang had severed the fate of the Yue Kingdom in that battle, with its population, military strength, and the spirit of its people, it might have truly had the opportunity to transform from a snake into a dragon and completely dominate the entire Southeast Asia.
P.S.: The 1970s and 1980s were the period when Vietnam's geopolitical ambitions were most apparent, and it was also the time when it put forward the concept of an "Indochina Federation" and came closest to dominating the region.
In 1978, Vietnam sent troops to Cambodia, overthrowing the Khmer Rouge regime, and subsequently stationed troops in Cambodia for more than a decade.
During this period, Vietnam effectively exerted strong control over Laos. The two countries signed the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Vietnam and Laos. Vietnam stationed troops in Laos for a long time and sent a large number of advisors, deeply influencing Laos' domestic and foreign affairs.
During this period, Vietnam attempted to rebuild the "Indochina Federation" with itself at its core, relying on its powerful army (at the time, it was known as the third strongest military power in the world), the support of the communist ally, and its absolute population advantage over Cambodia and Laos (Vietnam's population far exceeded the combined population of Cambodia and Laos).
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