[Infrastructure] Rose kissed Barcelona

The author has something to say: It’s September, and it’s time for the knife.Little cuties who don’t dare to look at knives, let’s take a look at it tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, good boy.The most difficult days will soon be over, and sweetness will come back in a few chapters!

In order not to spoil the atmosphere, the landmines and nutrient solution for the past few days have been unified after this big plot point, thank you together~ I love you all so much!

December 1874, 12, Barcelona.

"How long?" Someone asked in a low voice.

"One hour."

An hour later, the team would sneak deep into the woods to bring supplies and reinforcements to Montjuic Castle.

Three days have passed since the castle lost contact with the city.

On a clear day, people can see the flag flying above the castle from a distance.

In fact, there were a few people who initially complained about the Spanish flag being raised in the castle instead of the Catalan regional flag.

But obviously, the people in the castle did not have the latter option, and the dissatisfied people had to accept it as a stopgap measure-after all, this military fortress has been the property of the kingdom for more than a century, and only the kingdom's banner.

Now, the flag at least let the people in the city know that the castle is still in their hands.

This fucking matters more than anything.

"Guys, do you think the stars are brighter in the castle than in the city?"

With a piece of dead grass in his mouth, Parker looked up at the looming stars.

His head was slapped with a "slap".

"Little devil, you went to the castle just to look at the stars? How old are you?" Ricardo held the ham tapas bread in one hand and looked at him suspiciously.

Parker immediately raised his head vigilantly.

He spit out the dead grass in his mouth, and roared with his neck stuck: "I'm ten years old! And I'm good at marksmanship and archery! Give me a piece!"

"Tsk." Ricardo rolled his eyes, and still handed him a piece of tapas, "Then you are short enough—here, eat more, or you won't grow taller."

Parker suddenly became furious: "I haven't reached the age of growth! Bastard, let me tell you, I will definitely grow to 1.8 meters in the future! Much taller than you!"

"Oh, I'm really looking forward to it. Go to Zaragoza if it's less than 1.8 meters long. If you don't go, you're not from Aragon!" Ricardo laughed.

This is a stalk that only people who live in the land of the former Kingdom of Aragon understand.

A passer-by asked an Aragonese where he was going, and he said, "I'm going to Zaragoza."

"Oh, if God allows, you'll be there."

The Aragonese immediately annoyed: "Whether God allows it or not, I will go to Zaragoza!"

This is an offense to God.

So he turned into a mortal and asked him, "Where are you going?"

After receiving the same answer, he transformed the man into a frog and threw him into the puddle.

After a while, God couldn't bear it, so he changed him back and asked him, "Where are you going?"

The answer this time is——

"Either go to Zaragoza or the watering hole!"

A group of Catalans eating tapas laughed.

"Boring." The middle-aged man sitting in the corner snorted with a gloomy expression.

He took the tapas and put them in his mouth, his movements were still graceful, as if he was drinking afternoon tea in a splendid hotel.

"Aha!" Someone laughed and poked the people around him, "Look, the great architect is showing his superiority again."

"The Great Architect" was their mockery of Jose Abbas.

Of course, this kind of person who used to be very prestigious now has to go to the front line with a gun like them, and it is completely understandable to have a psychological gap.

But he still always claims to have elegant taste and despises the vulgar taste of others, so he can't blame others for hating him.

In war there is only one measure of all men's worth - what they can do to win.

What are buildings for?No matter how beautiful it is, can it be used for war?

"Actually, I was thinking, the castle can't be defended now. After all, there are too many Carlos people, so let's take their fraction."

Someone said sullenly, "I think the defenders should abandon the castle and retreat quickly? This will also save a little sacrifice."

"Absolutely not!" Ricardo immediately objected fiercely, "The castle is the commanding height, and its firepower can cover the whole city. Giving up the castle is like putting the whole of Barcelona and all the people in it on tapas and sending them to Carlos said the same thing!"

Parker, who had just stuffed a piece of tapas into his mouth, almost choked and beat his chest hard before swallowing.

He glanced at Ricardo bitterly - this person was aiming at him!

The debate went on for a while, and finally people reached a consensus - to keep.Even if there is only one person left in the fight.

After all, everyone they want to protect is in the city.

After eating tapas, which is rich in calories, everyone felt full of energy, and even the discussion was extremely lively.

But this is also an illusion.

Many people become hyperactive when stressed.As for whether they, who are shouldering dangerous tasks, are really chatting enthusiastically, or are they trying to relieve their uneasiness, probably no one can figure it out.

"ready to go!"

The laughter stopped abruptly, replaced by the sound of metal colliding and friction.

The action begins.

According to the command's estimation, if the castle does not receive reinforcements tonight, it will be truly out of ammunition and food.

The reinforcements had to be successful - and the routes were carefully chosen for that.

The open space on the hill along the tram line was too easy for the enemy to find, and they needed to move through the thick woods on the hillside.

This route is more hidden, and of course it is more difficult to walk.

There was no moon this night, and the night sky was very dark.

No one dared to light a lamp.

Ricardo followed the people in front of him through the bushes. After his eyes had adapted to the darkness for a long time, he was finally able to make out the dark, thin branches through the gray-white mist brought about by hard breathing.

"Ricardo!" Parker called him in a low voice.

"Why? Brat, are you afraid of death? You can't go back halfway now."

"Who's afraid of death!" Parker lowered his voice angrily, "Did you smell anything?"

Ricardo sniffled.

His sense of smell had completely failed in the knife-like cold wind, and he could only smell the bone-chilling smell—if that could be considered a smell.

"No."

"But I can smell it! It's a terrible smell... I want to vomit." Parker retched for a while.

"Aren't you too delicate?" Ricardo said sarcastically.

"That's why I said, children should not go to the battlefield, maybe you can still see ghosts."

"Hush!" Jose, who was following behind, pulled him violently.

Ga, ga, ga...

A crow flapped its wings and flew away, its hoarse voice was particularly ominous in the silent night sky.

"Here, it's just a crow, it seems to scare you." Ricardo couldn't help laughing, but his palms were also sweating.

Parker took another step forward, and the dead branches and broken leaves under his feet creaked.

"No, I really don't feel well..."

He was still sniffing hard, frowning while sucking: "I think it smells a bit like the oil in an oil lamp..."

The little boy suddenly remembered something, and shivered violently: "It can burn."

In the silent night, it seemed as if a spell had been uttered suddenly.

Whoosh whoosh.

Countless arrows flew through the air, forming a meteor-like rain of arrows, each of which shone brightly—they carried fire.

"Hidden!" This is the first command.

boom!The moment the first arrow fell, a flame suddenly burst into the woods, so bright that it was impossible to see for a moment.

Then came the second, the third...

"Run!" shouted the orderly at the top of his lungs. "There is flammable material in the woods!"

Countless flaming arrows flew in, igniting the dry woods.

A place that was shivering cold just a few minutes ago has turned into a sea of ​​flames in an instant.

At the same time, the sound of artillery fire like rolling thunder sounded from the top of the mountain.

The hilltop was under siege.

Parker immediately started running up.

The straps of his backpack were grabbed, and Jose's voice gritted his teeth: "Are you going to kill yourself? Go back!"

"Even if it's my life, that's my mission!" Parker yelled back at him, "My parents are going to heaven, I'm not afraid of death, unlike you, a useless coward!"

Snapped!He got a hot slap on the face.

Parker was furious, grabbed the arm and bit it, and ran away after hearing a scream.

The air suddenly exploded at this moment.

Parker felt like dough being tossed and kneaded.

The scorching air scorched his hair, and the howling wind tore his body apart. He could only hug his head tightly, hearing the screams around him and the crackling sound of burning dead branches. He didn't know what happened——

He landed heavily, his mind was gradually withdrawn from the buzzing blur, and what was withdrawn from him was a sharp pain.

The original disgusting smell was covered by the salty smell of blood.He stretched out his hand and felt a viscous, warm liquid.He knew it was blood.

He touched again, and again, and the panic in his heart suddenly rose-he couldn't feel his legs.

"What are you doing?!" Ricardo shouted from far to near, and when he saw the little boy, he couldn't help taking a breath of air: "St. George..."

Without hesitation, he squatted down, carried the little boy on his shoulders, and started running towards the direction where the fire was less intense.

Deafening explosions sounded around them one after another, the approaching flames burned their cheeks red, and the clothes on their shoulders hissed and smoked, as if they would be ignited in the next moment.

With a splash, Ricardo tripped over something, and the two of them fell heavily to the ground.

An earthquake-like shiver ran along the ground.

Among the crackling of burning, the sound of gunfire in the distance, and the explosion that raised dust, a sharp hiss of shells suddenly pierced the air.

That is the message of death.

At the moment before the danger came, time seemed to freeze suddenly.

With a low growl, Ricardo violently pushed Parker into the bomb crater beside him.

Parker's leg hit the bottom of the crater straight, but he didn't feel anything. He just grabbed Ricardo's bloody hand with all his strength—it was all the blood on Parker—"Come in!"

"I'm exhausted." Ricardo grinned, revealing a row of white teeth on his blackened face.

He shook off Parker's hand, slapped his head down heavily, and said with a smile, "Smelly brat, don't come to see me if you are less than 1.8 meters long, lie on your stomach in the puddle!"

The last moment before death dragged on for a long, long time.

Ricardo thought of the passionate articles he had written in his career as a reporter. Those great or small figures glowed with vitality under his pen, possessing shocking power...

so good.It suddenly occurred to him that other reporters would write about him in the future, and he finally became a participant from a bystander, participating in the life of the city he loves...

A black shadow suddenly knocked him into the crater and jumped on him.

The explosion instantly covered everything.

After the dust from the bombardment had passed, Ricardo and Parker were stunned when they tried their best to turn over the people blocking the crater.

"My God... Mr. Abbas?"

The dusty man coughed laboriously.He was covered in blood, his face was scorched black, and he could no longer see the decency of the past.

Ricardo was the first to react: "We will take you down the mountain immediately!"

Jose coughed again, this time coughing up a mouthful of blood.He waved his hand, just grabbed Ricardo's hand, and opened his lips with difficulty, as if to speak.

Ricardo bent down and heard his hoarse voice.

"My son is as old as you...but he doesn't recognize me as a father anymore."

Ricardo was stunned.No wonder father and son, the famous architects, seem to have not attended an event together in a long time before.

Jose's eyes were a little distracted, and his voice seemed to be dreaming: "You said, if I die in battle, will he be proud of such a father?"

Ricardo tasted the salty taste in his mouth and didn't know if it was tears or blood.He nodded repeatedly.

"It's a pity that I can't know..." Jose shook his head with difficulty, "But I really want him to know that I have always been proud of him."

He let out a long breath, his black pupils lost their last gleam in the flickering flames.

The most famous architect ever in Barcelona is dead.

Bang!

Another explosion woke Ricardo awake.

There is no time to be sad.

He put Parker on his back and began to rush frantically towards the edge of the flames.

The sound of something collapsing from the top of the mountain behind him was so ominous.But he didn't bother to take a look, he could only run desperately.

Can't go back.

The fire on Montjuïc illuminated the entire sky, and also illuminated the enemy army attacking from the top of the mountain.

Like an altar burning all night.

It was the city that was sacrificed.

At dawn, the gunpowder smoke still hasn't dissipated.

People in the city of Barcelona don't need to see the Burgundian cross still shrouded in smoke to know the final fate of the castle.

Because the shelling started.

This is a massacre of anger.

The gunners who had just taken the high ground did not seem to be aiming at all, nor did they need to aim at all.

They just need to be condescending and bombard the city continuously.

The low masonry houses had their roofs blown off and turned into a heap of smoking ruins.

Carriages, street lamps, and railings on the street were all smashed, trees were broken down the middle, vegetable fields were buried by collapsed houses, and there were broken walls and ruins everywhere.

The whole city is like a huge cemetery.

There was not a trace of human voice, only earthquake-like tremors exploded in places far or near every few tens of seconds, and the sound of thud was like the approaching footsteps of ogre giants.

People shrank back into the reinforced concrete buildings that they had been told in advance to take refuge, looking out of the windows like mice, looking out of the window in fear.

There is no day, no night.

Only the choking smell of gunpowder and endless gunfire.

Black smoke rose continuously from the burning houses, and the whole city was shrouded in smoke, and the sky was always leaden gray.

The old people recalled a similar scene 30 years ago.

That year, the government troops stationed at Montjuic Castle shelled Barcelona for two weeks, almost turning it into a dead zone.

……

"Operation failed again."

There's an air of despair in the headquarters

The shelling continued, and every sound seemed to hit people's hearts.

The firepower of the castle was too great for the Barcelonans to take it back.

It is a praiseworthy legend to win more with less, but under the suppression of limited geographical space and absolute power, they have exhausted all their wisdom, courage and perseverance, and the only option left in the end may be to perish with dignity.

Or maybe, even the way of death cannot be chosen.

"...Did I hear it wrong, the shelling stopped?" Someone suddenly murmured.

The shelling did cease.

After several days of shelling, this brief blankness almost made people suspect that there was something wrong with their ears.

The next moment, a slightly soft horn sounded.

All Barcelona people couldn't help but listen.

This seems to be a tone that has never been heard before——

Ada almost cried: "This is the clarion call to surrender."

There was a sudden silence in the headquarters.

Surrender?

Everyone screamed in their hearts for the first time-no!

Surrender now, let Carlos occupy the city, build the Inquisition, enslave the people here, and fight against their compatriots elsewhere?

Surrender after fighting to the last moment at Montjuic Castle?

Surrender after the great and the small and the crying and the laughing have sacrificed for the city?

Don't even think about it!

The people of Barcelona more than 100 years ago did not surrender, and they will not surrender more than 100 years later.

However, they are also well aware of the current situation.

Although under Joey's prior arrangement, the people in the city gathered at the refuge point very early, the number of casualties was extremely limited.But artillery fire restricted all their normal activities. Under such continuous bombardment, the city could not last long.

The tragedy of that year will inevitably repeat itself after all.

The sharp ringing of the phone suddenly tore the silence.

The operator jumped up as if waking up from a dream, and answered the phone.

"City Command."

"General Gamo of the Fortress? Yes."

"... You said, cannons that can destroy castles?" The operator's voice began to tremble.

The whole room suddenly fell silent, only the sound of the pen nib rubbing against the paper could be heard.

A minute later, the operator tremblingly put down the phone.

"The fort has cannons capable of destroying the castle of Montjuic."

Her voice was filled with tears. I don't know if it was because of excitement or sadness, "But General Gamo said that due to the special structure of the fortress, once the whole thing is destroyed, there is basically no possibility of survival for the people inside."

Everyone shivered.

They all know what that means.

The fall of the castle to the enemy caused great sorrow throughout the city.

Because there are more than 100 people who stick to it.

That is their father, brother and child.

But people can still have a glimmer of hope after all-maybe they are just captured, not sacrificed yet.

Although Carlos has always been known for his cruel methods, the possibility of this is extremely slim, but people will never give up without a final judgment.

But now, they have the authority to destroy the castle.

The hope that was once turned into the deepest despair.

If those who defended the city and did not surrender to the last moment are still alive...

They will die from their own attack.

There was a suffocating silence.

In the eerie silence, the operator turned hard to Joey.

"...Your Highness, Your Highness, General Gamo, please decide."

An invisible rope tightened suddenly around his neck.

Joey seemed to be in deep, deep water.

no light.There is no sound.hopeless.

Why is the war not over yet?

Why did no one lay down their arms?

Why can fate be so cruel?

Why should such a cruel decision be handed over to her...

Reason wants to collapse, but cannot collapse.

The soul in the body was screaming, but in reality she looked out the window silently.

Something was falling from the heights of the castle, bright, light, and pathetic, like a flower petal falling from heaven.

It was a burning flag.

The flag that once hung over the castle.

Joey closed his eyes.

She thought she was going to cry, but she didn't.

She just stared blankly at the castle for the last time.

That image has remained in her mind forever.

Under the leaden sky, the burning golden-red flag above the castle slowly fell, like a fallen Icarus.

The howling cold wind passed by the ears, as if playing an elegy for all the dead and the dying.

She couldn't hear her own voice, but she clearly knew what she was talking about like a knife cutting through her heart.

"Please tell General Gamo."

"Fire."