Chapter 792: Chapter 16: This Is a Great War of National Defense

A group of people walked along the mountain path, and among the attendants, aside from those with specific duties who weren’t combat personnel, only Ladon was absent.

Even though Ladon hadn’t undergone elite transformation and, as a demon dragon, had basic attributes far surpassing the other attendants, it proved to be of little use in this war; its massive body was practically a living target for enemy artillery.

"Who goes there?"

"Stop, password!"

Before the mountain pass, guards with rifles cautiously scrutinized the approaching figures. Most of them had the wolf race’s double ears, with varying fur colors, but some barely exhibited wolf race traits, apart from a tuft of gray hair on the tip of their ears.

Cherina stepped forward, pointed to her own ears, and said, "I’m one of us, but I don’t know the password."

The guards glanced at each other and whispered among themselves: "What a beautiful maiden, her fur color indeed resembles ours, but I’ve never seen her before!"

"Sorry, without the password, I can’t let you... and your companions in."

Venezia watched the scene, frowning. Even though he had heard about the New Basilicata Wolf Race’s ideology, seeing these mixed-blood "compatriots," who were almost indistinguishable from ordinary people, still caused discomfort.

This gap was really too wide; in his era, he was at best a reformist among the pureblood faction.

Cherina was about to explain when suddenly a surprised voice echoed from the wooden watchtower.

Followed by, a massive, dark shadow descended from the sky.

"Miss Nina?"

"I can’t be mistaken, by Romulus, is it truly Miss Nina?"

Wearing a cowboy hat, the bearded Centurion asked incredulously, "Along with Miss Prajna, Miss Jeanne, Miss Furinjira, Mr. Kurs, Mr. Hans... why are you all here?"

Jeanne replied with a smile, "Centurion Leon, it’s been a long time."

Prajna nodded slightly, "Centurion Leon, how many years has it been since our last visit?"

Leon was utterly excited, "Twenty years. The Clan Leader was just talking about it a few days ago, and here you are! My heavens, you look just as you did before, while I’ve grown old..."

Cherina breathed a slight sigh of relief, "How’s my father doing?"

...

Wolf Castle.

Juliano’s orders spread quickly, and in the dark, the centurions and elite corners staying behind at Wolf Castle gathered in the hall.

They looked at the solemn old Clan Leader sitting above, urgently inquiring about the situation.

"Clan Leader, what exactly is happening?"

"Is it really not just Louisiana’s local government acting on its own?"

Their mood was heavy. In this era, the British Empire loomed like a great mountain over all nations, dominating nearly a quarter of the known world. Any small country before it could only tremble.

In reality, as neighbors of the Thirteen Colonies, the Texas Wolf Race had always worried about the British making a move against them over the years.

"I hope that’s the case, but the situation doesn’t look optimistic."

Juliano laid out his assessment straightforwardly, not merely conjecture, but supported by messages sent back via telegram by spies Texas dispatched to the Thirteen Colonies.

The Apennine wolf race already had a gang-like organizational structure, naturally valuing intelligence. At the time, the Apennine Peninsula was essentially a major region for immigrants, making it simple for Texas to plant seeds in the Thirteen Colonies.

"In Baton Rouge and Jackson, ’lobster soldiers’ were seen marching in formation, with abnormal movements in British vehicles and ships, and Tony even spotted Holy Knights and the legendary Armored Warriors in enemy camps."

"We’ve encountered the colonial division from Louisiana before. What does it signify when among their ranks, still equipped with muskets, suddenly appear a group of Armored Warriors only seen in the European War?"

Colonial forces often lagged behind European powers in terms of equipment. For one, there were no equivalent enemies nearby; secondly, the Thirteen Colonies were far too vast compared to the British mainland.

Despite relying on plantation and mining economies, the Thirteen Colonies still possessed considerable power; economically speaking, they were no less than the average major power.

Additionally, the colonies served as a pressure valve for the homeland, with those dissatisfied with the nation, power struggle losers, criminals, and lower-class individuals being exiled there.

Should the military power of the Thirteen Colonies become too strong, another independence war would be inevitable.

The previous independence war ended with Washington hanged on the gallows in Richmond, but the next might not be so fortuitous. Within just one hundred years, the population of the Thirteen Colonies had expanded from over two million to more than thirty million, its territory stretched from the original East Coast of North America to Oregon on the West Coast of America.

This is a major worry for Juliano. Unlike the Boer War, the Cape Colony in South Africa under the British had merely tens of thousands in population, making it immensely challenging to summon a 400,000 strong army.

In Texas, however, the hope lay in British distrust of the colonial government.

Seeing the centurions and corners looking despondent, Juliano slammed the table fiercely, "Look at yourselves, hearing the enemy might be British makes you so fearful?"

"We have ten thousand warriors, a thousand highly combative corners, and militia from every town. I admit the British navy is invincible, but their army, swallowing us won’t be easy!"

Juliano’s authoritative gaze swept over the crowd; it’s human nature to fear when facing the world’s overlords before even fighting, but fear, compromise, and retreat will only result in being devoured by the wolves.

In fact, there were more than ten thousand Texas wolf race immigrants, but their fighting capability was no longer categorized under the wolf race, nearly equivalent to ordinary people. This was the keystone of the Texas wolf race fusing with humanity.

Several centurions hesitated, wanting to speak – the wolf race wasn’t afraid of fighting; even mixed-bloods had a combative nature.

But it was this paradise they had established in thirty years.

"Let’s fight the British bastards!"

"We’ve fought them before; those lobster soldiers aren’t so effective in the wild."

Juliano raised a hand to silence the crowd and continued, "Thirty years ago, we first set foot on Texas soil. Back then, it was a hopeless land, one deemed valueless by colonists."

"Twenty years ago, we faced our first challenge, defeated those who boasted noble bloodlines from the old wolf race, and showed the Texas Wolf Race Federation could shelter the wanderers arriving in Texas!"

"Now, a greater test has arrived. We have two choices: abandon the lands we’ve cultivated painstakingly over thirty years, forsake the ordinary people under our protection, give up our cattle, houses, surrender this land deemed a spiritual sanctuary by drifting wolf races worldwide and hand over Texas."

"Impossible! Never!"

"We would rather die than surrender!"

The gathered wolf race was fired up.

Among them, many corners had mixed lineage, faced discrimination in Europe, some even lived in sewers fearing the pursuit of religious zealots who would bind them to pyres.

No one wished to live in exile, constantly relying on others again.

Someone choked up, "Clan Leader, the night we arrived in Texas was the first peaceful sleep I’ve ever had; I don’t want to return to a wandering life!"

Juliano looked solemn, beating his chest, "Indeed, this seemingly chosen path is actually one leading to death. In today’s world, where is there land that has no master?"

"Even if there is, should we retreat today, will we retreat again when next the French come?"

"Our only choice is to fight! For Texas, for the new wolf race!"

"For Texas, for the new wolf race, for our last haven!"

The roars, the wolf howls, as if they would tear the roof off.

Standing on stage, furiously passionate, Juliano’s gaze suddenly fixed on a figure among the wolf race’s back rows, waving toward him.

He instinctively rubbed his eyes.