Chapter Twelve: Let Me First Teach You What It Means to Love One’s Country!

"Prime Minister Kameda, what do you mean by that?" Indra Asan glared at Kameda and snorted coldly. "Listen, Kameda, mind your tone. You should know that you’re speaking to the First Chair of the world’s leading Indra White Elephant Nation. We possess the most powerful military and the most advanced technology on earth. We are number one in population. We drink cow urine daily to boost our immunity. Our soldiers can dance on motorcycles. We pray day and night, seeking divine protection… Can your people do any of this?"

"Now do you understand who you’re speaking to?"

Kameda, the First Chair of his nation, stared at Indra Asan’s proud face, clicking his tongue in disbelief. "Idiot…" His gaze was as though he were looking at a fool.

"Can you, Indra White Elephant Nation, stop bragging for once? If you’re so impressive, why are your seats always at the end in these meetings?" Kameda continued, "You say Daxia loves to boast, but it’s you who can’t stop. The world’s strongest military? If we’re talking about crash statistics, you certainly lead the world…"

At these words, Indra Asan sprang to his feet, about to unleash a tirade. Kameda quickly waved his hand. "Forget it, I don’t care to argue with you about this right now. I only want everyone to know: this time, Daxia is not boasting!"

"Their conscription drive has already begun—just half an hour after the public announcement!"

"I have here a video uploaded by a Daxian on foreign media, showing the current situation at one of their recruitment points."

With that, Kameda uploaded the video. "Please, everyone, watch this and you’ll understand Daxia’s resolve—then you’ll know what kind of situation we’re truly facing!"

At once, the leaders of Western nations opened the video.

Red banners fluttered!

The golden five-pointed star soared high.

A dazzling red flag was flying proudly beneath the blazing sun.

Below it, a sea of people surged—packed shoulder to shoulder, a vast crowd!

Firecrackers thundered, drums resounded!

Atop a makeshift stage, a girl in a green military uniform stood beneath the sweltering sun, her voice ringing out: "Comrades, enlistment brings honor to your entire family!"

"Our nation needs you now!"

"Daxia is in peril, comrades. Only with a nation can we have our families! Please, step forward and enlist!"

"Let’s talk about what matters. This time, Daxia is offering great benefits to soldiers: two hundred thousand a year, with thirty percent annual raises, promotion in two years, and no upper limit!"

"All medical expenses for soldiers’ families will be fully covered by the state!"

"Housing and household registration issues will be resolved!"

"I won’t deceive you—this is truly dangerous! But have our ancestors ever feared danger? How can we fear now?"

"Our lives will be completely transformed in this moment, given extraordinary value!"

"I implore you, fight for Daxia!"

The recruiter was a young woman, barely in her early twenties. Under the scorching sun, her face was drenched in sweat, soaking her green uniform. Her voice had grown hoarse, yet she shouted with all her strength, heedless of her own image—as if some incredible power was sustaining her.

This same power could be found in Elder Jin, in Chen Yan, in Lin Fan, in every Daxian!

A heart fiercely devoted to the nation, pure love for the homeland!

The square was packed with young men—eighteen, nineteen, just entering their twenties. Some were drifting, uncertain about the future; some were frustrated with their jobs; others were weary of their stagnant, lifeless routines.

Now, an opportunity was before them.

To serve!

To defend Daxia!

Beyond studying, working, buying a house, and getting married, another path existed—a life that was harsh but supremely honorable! A life that might not make one rich, but would grant a band of loyal comrades!

The scene was electric.

"Count me in!"

"I’ll defend Daxia too!"

"Danger? Daxia is in danger? Then I must step up even more!"

"Three years of regret for enlisting, a lifetime of regret for not enlisting! The greatest regret of my life is never having served—now, the chance is here!"

One after another, they rushed to sign up.

A young man, hustling along with his boss, caught sight of the scene in the square. His numb eyes suddenly flickered with life.

"Boss," he stopped, "I have something to say."

"Whatever it is, make it quick. Director Zhang is waiting for us at the hotel to negotiate. Don’t dawdle—drink plenty with Director Zhang, keep him happy, and seal the deal for us!" the middle-aged boss barked, fiddling with his prayer beads.

"Boss," the young man set down his bag. Usually meek, he now shook his head. "I’m not going."

"You’re not going?!" The boss nearly leapt in anger. "I pay you three thousand a month to do what, exactly? You just quit? Do you even want your salary this month?"

"Heh." The young man shook his head, smiling. "First, let me tell you—I don’t like drinking! I don’t want a life spent groveling and entertaining people every day!"

"To hell with being a salesman—I’ve had enough!"

"Three thousand a month? Look over there—the state is offering so much more!"

"I’m enlisting. I want to do something truly worthwhile!"

With blood pounding, the young man threw his bag at the boss, shouting, "I don’t want to die at a banquet table. If I’m a man, I’ll take up a rifle and, if need be, die for Daxia on the battlefield!"

And with that, he dashed to the recruitment booth.

The middle-aged boss stared in astonishment at the young man’s passionate figure, and suddenly felt a long-lost fire from his youth blaze up inside him.

"Damn it!" The boss pulled out his phone and dialed Director Zhang. "Director Zhang, let’s postpone the contract for today."

"The reason? Well…"

"Daxia is conscripting, and the nation is in peril!"

"I may just be an ordinary businessman, but… I’m enlisting too! Hell, don’t ask me why—I’m thirty-five, but faced with this, I can’t help myself!"

With that, the man ran after the young recruit.

"Boss, stop chasing me—you won’t change my mind, today I’m—"

"Change your mind? Wait for me! Without your boss, what if you really die on the battlefield?"

This was but a trivial story in the square—and there were countless such stories everywhere.

A pair of parents were driving their child to the airport to study abroad. On the way, they passed the square.

In the back seat sat a chubby boy with fair skin, clearly pampered and never having known hardship. He was bobbing his head to foreign music on his phone, lost in the clamor of languages he barely understood.

Beside him, his elegantly dressed mother peeled an orange, murmuring, "When you get there, study hard. Try to stay abroad and get a green card. I’ll send you thirty thousand in living expenses each month. If we get the chance, your father and I will emigrate too. I’ve heard the air over there in Beautiful Freedomland is even better than ours…"

The father, driving, frowned, a trace of displeasure in his eyes.

Screech!

He slammed on the brakes, pulling up beside the square.

The boy, absorbed in his phone, didn’t notice. The mother looked up from her orange. "What’s wrong?"

The man didn’t answer.

Bang!

He stepped out, face grim, and yanked open the back door. With a swipe, he knocked the phone from his son’s hand.

"Out of the car!" he ordered, voice low and firm.

The boy, clad in foreign brands, looked up in shock. "Dad, what are you—"

"No more studying abroad. From today, I’ll teach you what patriotism means!" The father jabbed a finger at the ground, speaking each word with steely resolve. "Out of the car. From now on, you’ll enlist first."