“I can predict the future!”

Bell, who was lying on a sandbag, said that he looked at the sea in the distance, listened to the sound of the waves hitting the coast, and breathed the air blowing from the sea. Thanks to the sea breeze, they could not smell the choking smell of whistle smoke. But they could see the destroyed city below the mountain. The city was burning, and almost all the buildings were destroyed.

“I can see what America will be like in a year.”

Bell stopped, rolled a cigarette with Ming Dynasty propaganda paper, and then smoked the cigarette. His rough worker's hands looked very big against the fragile cigarette.

"Ruins. Ruins everywhere. Teenagers with pistols stealing and robbing a pound of flour. On the streets, there are no young people except those walking with crutches and limping legs, because the rest are in the imperial prisoner-of-war camps. Old women in sackcloth clothes stagger on the streets and suddenly die of hunger on the ground. In order to get a piece of bread, the women can only sell their bodies to the invaders. The factories are not in operation because they have been completely blown up. The government no longer exists, only the martial law decree enacted by the imperial soldiers. There are no schools, no houses, no future..."

Bell stopped talking and looked at the sea thoughtfully. It was near dusk. Although it was already October, October in San Francisco was very warm, unlike the autumn in the north. The sun was like a big orange ball, quietly sinking into the ocean. The coarse grass on the sand dunes was almost motionless; the road along the shore was like a narrow black ribbon, winding and empty; San Francisco Bay was dyed red by the sunset, and the red bay was like... like it was dyed red by people's blood.

"There is no future,"

Bell repeated thoughtfully as he gazed through the barbed wire at the bay, watching the city in ruins and listening to the faintly audible explosions.

“There is no future.”

Bell is a lieutenant in the coastal artillery. He was originally a man full of confidence in the future, but what about now?

But he no longer had any confidence. All he could feel was death, destruction, and no prediction of the future.

"Look at what you said, sir, how can you say that? Who says we will definitely fail? As long as we keep fighting, we will definitely win..."

Rudy said from the side.

"Win? Then what?"

Bell said, pointing at the ruined city.

"Anyway, all we have is a ruin, Rudy. Can you still find your home?"

Looking at the ruins, both of them fell silent for a long time, and then Rudy said.

"In that case, Los Angeles is pretty lucky."

"Yes, at least it's not in ruins..."

…

The Imperial Army is entering the city!

Like many Los Angeles residents, Irian and Ellis watched the Imperial Army march through the city. The soldiers seemed to be made of the same mold, mostly teenagers, holding their rifles firmly in their hands, with pride in their steps and their boots stomping out the beat of victory in unison.

“I can’t believe this is Los Angeles.”

Irian said.

"Yes, when the Ming Dynasty's artillery shells landed in Los Angeles, no one thought they would come again. But who would have thought that they would come again, and not only come, but also occupy this place..."

An old man on the side said.

"From now on, we... white people will be born inferior because of our bloodline! Haha, damn Stanford, he sold us out to the devil."

"Devil, at least Los Angeles wasn't destroyed by war,"

"Yes, I heard that the whole of San Francisco was destroyed by artillery fire..."

“So, Stanford is doing a good thing…”

Listening to the conversations among the people, Ellis held her husband's hand and asked.

"You think so?"

"I don't know, I don't know..."

Irian shook it, then spoke to himself.

"Perhaps this is not a bad thing. After all, we all know that workers under the rule of the Empire can live a good life. They have pension insurance and medical insurance, and..."

Talking about the advantages of the empire's rule, Irian seemed to want to convince himself to accept it all.

"But they are not Americans, they represent the Chinese..."

His words were interrupted by someone next to him.

"Sir, you are wrong. The Empire may be dominated by Chinese people, but the Empire's rule transcends the boundaries of race and bloodline. Everyone is equal."

The stranger's words caused another person to retort.

"Haha, stop dreaming. They are the occupying forces. They have long forgotten the laws they implemented in the country. Fairness and equality, my God, is this possible? Can the occupiers be treated fairly by the occupied?"

“But this is what they are striving for after all.”

Listening to people's arguments and watching the imperial army marching into the city in orderly steps, Irian hesitated and said to his wife.

"Maybe we should stay here."

Then he said again.

"This way our daughter can live a better life and grow up smoothly into a big girl."

Ellis was pregnant and he didn't want to continue traveling with his wife.

"Are you so sure it's a girl?"

“I feel that way.”

"If it's a boy, can you give him another name?"

"this……"

"I want to give him a Western name, but I don't know if it will work in the future."

"How about calling him 'Ben'? There are people with this name in the Empire as well."

Looking at his wife, Irian smiled. He knew that now, everything was over. He just needed to start over here and start a new life, of course under the rule of the empire.

The American flag was lowered from Los Angeles City Hall.

Amid the stirring music, the Empire's sun and moon flag slowly rose. The bright red flag's golden sun and silver moon replaced the red, white and blue of the Stars and Stripes, blending everything into it.

On this day, fireworks were set off throughout Los Angeles. The beautiful fireworks lit up the night sky of Los Angeles. This was to celebrate the fall of Los Angeles, no, it should be said that it was to celebrate the occupation of the empire.

Under the beautiful fireworks, in the Los Angeles City Hall, music was playing, Leland Stanford and other California dignitaries, they drank wine, wore gorgeous dresses, and admired the fireworks with the occupying forces. The sky was full of fireworks, outlining a beautiful picture. Looking at the gorgeous fireworks, these dignitaries were all smiles. No matter how the war progressed, no matter how the poor children sacrificed in the war, no matter how the poor gave up their dignity for a bite of bread in the war, they would always be the guests of the victors...

The new book "I am a tyrant in Ming Dynasty" is about to be released. I beg you to continue to support me! Thank you! ! ! I have set up a book club: 739209015. Welcome everyone to join and discuss the plot of the new book together.