604: History of Civilization

After discussing with Lei Ming the various uses of the Strange, including but not limited to using it to summon Lightning Tribulations for Artifact Refining, opening haunted houses, and using it to enhance Citizens' combat capabilities and courage, Yang Dian and Lei Ming arrived at Expeditionary Force Base Number One.

Inside the Expeditionary Force Base, banners fluttered in the wind.

Outside the Expeditionary Force Base, over five thousand Expeditionary Force soldiers stood in formation, and nearly a million Lizardmen warriors formed a hundred ten-thousand-man phalanxes, standing uniformly on the plain.

“Whoosh~~~”

Yang Dian descended from the sky with Lei Ming, landing on the banner-waving review stand, and an indescribable surge of heroic spirit immediately welled up in his heart.

A man, deep down, cares about such things.

To wield power, to have a full granary, to make the nation prosperous and its people strong.

To possess sturdy ships and sharp cannons, and excellent armor.

To command millions of elite soldiers, arrayed in all directions.

As for beauty?

Compared to personal power and extraordinary might, beauty is merely a seasoning.

How could it compare to the heroic feeling of commanding a fierce army and expanding territory?

With a heart full of heroic spirit, Yang Dian stepped forward:

“Comrades, you’ve worked hard.”

The five thousand Expeditionary Force soldiers and a million Lizardmen wearing exoskeletons all raised their weapons, looked at Yang Dian, and shouted loudly:

“We are willing to expand the territory for Huaxia Civilization!”

A thunderous roar exploded across the heavens and earth, shaking the very air.

The Beast-Ear Tribe surrounding the military formation stumbled in fright from the loud shouts, and the young Beast-Ear Tribe members instinctively burrowed into the arms of the older Beast-Ear Tribe members.

Gou Sheng, with a pair of dog ears on his head, smoothed the goosebumps on his arm and subconsciously looked at Hu Ling, the Beast-Ear Tribe's High Priestess, beside him:

“High Priestess, they seem to…”

Hu Ling smiled, her face showing relief and release:

“Sheng, haven’t you realized yet?”

“Their rescue of us from the Strange was merely an incidental act.”

“Their goal has never been us, nor the Strange.”

She pointed to the land beneath her feet and said:

“Their goal has always been this planet beneath our feet.”

“If there were no Strange, their target might have been us.”

Gou Sheng was greatly shocked.

In his eyes, the Expeditionary Force were selfless, heaven-sent soldiers who saved the suffering.

But reality told him that the world was not like that.

Even the descent of heaven-sent soldiers was only for profit.

Seeing Gou Sheng, whose spirit was greatly shaken, Hu Ling pursed her lips and continued:

“Sheng, actually, this is very normal, isn’t it?”

“If there were no benefits, why would humans bring the Lizardmen to help us?”

“Furthermore, since the Lizardmen can join the humans, why can’t we?”

As she spoke, Hu Ling turned her head to look at her tribesmen gathered around her, each one cowering like a quail, intimidated by the Expeditionary Force’s Aura.

Cat ears, fox ears, rabbit ears… ‘Chinese people seem to really like Beast-Ears.’

‘And our Beast-Ear Tribe's appearance happens to align with Chinese people's aesthetic preferences.’

‘We will integrate into Huaxia Civilization better than the Lizardmen…’

Yang Dian naturally didn't know that the current rulers of the Beast-Ear Tribe were contemplating how to integrate into Huaxia Civilization.

After all, at this very moment, he was standing on the review stand, directing affairs with vigor.

“Strange Star is the first Alien Planet conquered by our Expeditionary Force, but it will not be the last.”

“The Universe is vast and boundless, possessing countless planets, and we will conquer countless planets, spreading the light of civilization across the star sea.”

“Every battle on an Alien Planet shall be recorded in the annals of Huaxia Civilization, with mountains and rivers as its pages, and stars as its seals.”

As his voice fell, a golden curtain unfurled from the spatial node behind Yang Dian, spreading across the entire Strange Star.

On the curtain, scenes continuously appeared and disappeared.

These were precisely the various battles fought by the Expeditionary Force during their campaign on Strange Star.

Some were victories, some were defeats.

All battle and war scenes were displayed upon it.

Not a single one was missed.

The 【shanhe sheji tu】(the map of mountains and rivers) appeared in the present world once again after the Heaven Worship ceremony.

In the Expeditionary Force formation, some people, seeing themselves being chased by the Strange and scurrying away with their heads in their hands, couldn't help but lower their heads.

Some, seeing themselves fighting to save their comrades despite severe injuries, stood tall with their chests out.

And some Lizardmen who survived the great war searched continuously, eventually seeing the scene of a human warrior sacrificing himself to save them, and wept, their tears staining their clothes.

As the soldiers felt a mix of emotions and sorrow, Yang Dian's voice once again echoed from the high platform.

“War inevitably brings death.”

“Sacrifice is unavoidable.”

“Now, posthumously award First-Class Pioneer Medals to warriors such as Guan Ruichun, Han Sizhu, Bao Tingrong, Zhao Zongtan, and others.”

“Their children are specially approved to enroll in the Expeditionary Force Affiliated Academy, with additional resource subsidies provided.”

“Their wives, children, and parents will receive Expeditionary Force pensions, with the pension amount being three times the average Expeditionary Force salary, paid monthly…”

After listing all the pensions for the fallen warriors in one breath, a stone wall, resembling white jade, rose at the main entrance of Expeditionary Force Strange Star Base Number One.

Carved on the stone wall were busts of the Expeditionary Force warriors and Lizardmen warriors who died on Strange Star, along with their life stories, causes of death, and earned merits.

“For Huaxia Civilization to become strong and stand tall in the Universe, there will inevitably be wars.”

“However, in this era of great contention, to not fight is to die; we have no other choice.”

“May the mountains and rivers of Huaxia Civilization be safe, and may the heroic souls live forever!”

As Yang Dian’s voice fell, the Expeditionary Force warriors in formation once again raised their long spears:

“May the mountains and rivers be safe, and may the heroic souls live forever!”

The loud shouts spread far across the plain, startling flocks of birds, and lingered for a long time…