Chapter 142: Major Movements in the Western Realm

By this point, both Chen Mu and Lewis knew for certain that this was indeed a Westerner. Everything he said was in the Western tongue, though the words were utterly foul.

"Let me go at once! Our great Western..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Lewis kicked him right back down.

"Great your grandmother! Having fallen into the hands of our Great Xia army, aren't you going to confess honestly? As the saying goes, leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist!"

"Chen Mu, is that how the saying goes?"

As he delivered the last sentence, Lewis looked at Chen Mu with a triumphant expression, as if eagerly awaiting praise.

Chen Mu found it somewhat amusing. Over the past few days, Lewis seemed to have completely embraced his identity as a member of the Great Xia army. The few sentences he had just uttered were all spoken in the Great Xia language, and he had even mastered the idioms Chen Mu taught him.

Chen Mu smiled faintly. "Well said, Lewis. You are a fast learner."

Lewis proudly lifted his chin. "Of course, how smart do you think I am?"

The Westerner opposite them was dumbfounded; he actually understood the Great Xia language. Because the Great Xia language was almost identical to the Chinese language, and the Westerners had all originated as offshoots of China, every adult Westerner understood Great Xia, save for infants.

So, what was going on with this Lewis? Judging by his name, his accent, and his appearance, he was unmistakably a Westerner. How was it that he was now speaking the Great Xia language?

And why was he siding with the Great Xia people?

In extreme agitation, he shouted at Lewis:

"You traitor to the West!"

"You have betrayed the glory of the gods!"

"How dare you speak the Great Xia language!"

Though he was now shouting entirely in the Western tongue, Chen Mu understood every word.

"Hah! What's so great about the West? Weren't you driven to the edge of the world by our Great Xia?"

Lewis retorted, "What glory is left in the West? Have you seen the technology Great Xia has now?"

"This was all researched by Chen Mu. In my heart, he is the true god!"

"A living god you can actually see!"

"You can save those fairy tales you tell children in the West."

Hearing this, the Westerner was so furious his nose was nearly crooked. In the West, faith in the gods was sacred and inviolable.

Yet this Lewis dared to blaspheme the divine.

He burst into another torrent of curses, spewing garbage that was difficult to translate into the Great Xia language.

Lewis grew furious, raised his foot, and rained kicks straight onto the man's face.

"Fuck your mother! You only brought us that tiny bit of water and coal, and said we weren't allowed to come back without finding resources. You were clearly sending us to our deaths!"

"What kind of damned god is that? Making his own believers die?"

"Out of our whole squad, I was the only one who survived, reduced to living among savages! If not for Chen Mu's kindness in bringing me out, I'd still be eating wild berries right now!"

"I'll kick you to death!"

This was the first time Chen Mu had heard Lewis recount these details. Back in the savages' den, Lewis had only mentioned that he was merely following orders.

It seemed he had still been trying to save face for the West back then, but now he had completely seen the reality of the situation.

"Alright, alright, don't kick him to death. We still need to interrogate him."

Chen Mu pulled Lewis back and instructed the soldiers to stuff the sock back into the Westerner's mouth.

Lewis said indignantly, "Chen Mu, let me interrogate him. I know best what Westerners are afraid of!"

Chen Mu thought for a moment. "Very well, but keep it within bounds."

Lewis replied, "Rest assured, I won't kill him until he spits out everything useful."

Chen Mu nodded, reminded the soldiers to keep an eye on Lewis, and turned to leave.

It was clear Chen Mu could not leave just yet; he had to first uncover whatever conspiracy the Westerners were hatching.

The army was also dismissed to rest and await news from Lewis's end.

To give credit where it was due, Lewis was not bluffing. Within a single day, he had uncovered the entire affair.

It turned out that after escaping the Black Earth Plains, the Westerners had fled to the warm regions in the west. Using deceitful methods, they had managed to subjugate a major local tribe known as the Latins.

The Latins were one of the primary ethnic groups on the Western continent. To their north lay the Germanic tribes, while to their south lay the Roman Empire.

The Germanic tribes were warlike, and the Roman Empire was immensely powerful, but the Latins had their own strengths—they were exceptionally skilled at farming and herding.

Much like the Xiongnu of northern Great Xia, their mastery of horpecar was formidable. This happened to be the weakness of both the Roman Empire and the Germanic tribes, which was why the Latins had managed to survive to this day.

After the Westerners seized control of them, they vigorously promoted metal smelting and weapon production, and their strength was now faintly surpassing that of the Germanic tribes.

However, the Westerners feared that acting rashly would cause the Roman Empire and the Germanic tribes to unite, trapping them in a pincer movement from north and south, which would spell disaster.

Consequently, they had dispatched men by ship to the southern continent of Chizhou, seeking reinforcements to first eliminate the Roman Empire.

This man, named Martin, was one of those emissaries. While scouting for information in a nearby town today, he had been captured by soldiers from the Strait Fortress.

Lewis concluded, "Actually, all of this is secondary information."

Chen Mu frowned. "If all that is secondary, then what is the primary news?"

Lewis answered, "The main thing is that the West has now mastered direct current motor technology, and they have already begun applying it."

Chen Mu's expression shifted. "I never imagined the West had such brilliant minds!"

Yet, upon reflection, it made sense. In the history of Chen Mu's past life, many innovations had been developed first by Westerners. It was hardly surprising that the Westerners in this world had invented the direct current motor.

However, he did not know that, in truth, it had started when a Slav from the Black Earth Plains stumbled upon a motor and traveled thousands of miles to curry favor with the Westerners.

This would bring the threat of war to their homeland.

Lewis said in a deep voice, "This is dangerous. We must devise a plan immediately."

Chen Mu nodded. Lewis was right; this motor was far more than just a simple machine.

Since the West had begun applying it, it meant they had also discovered petroleum. Chen Mu could not truly recall whether the Western continent possessed oil, and even if it did, reserves would be scarce.

Yet, once the West began utilizing electrical energy, it would drive advancements in metal smelting and mechanical processing. Great Xia was already developing machine tools, and the West would likely think of this as well.

When that day came, the performance of weapons like muskets and cannons would leap to an entirely new tier.

What should they do?

After pondering for a moment, Chen Mu spoke. "We must still return to our homeland first."

Lewis asked, "Then what about this place?"

Chen Mu replied, "There is no need to hold this place to the death. We can completely fall back to the Midpoint Fortress. Go and summon General Zhang and the others."

Lewis nodded. "Understood."

Chen Mu knew that the kingdom of Is was home to the world's largest petroleum reserves. As long as they held that territory, Great Xia was bound to secure victory.

What he needed to do now was rush back to his country, develop new weaponry, and deliver a fatal blow to the West before they had time to fully flourish.