Parade

New Hanover is a large southwestern state.

Although it is a large state, the American East never lacks such sparsely populated and remote large states, and with the intertwining of the West and the South, this makes New Hanover poor and sparsely populated.

Although Mr. Van der Linde has developed this place for three years, it is still incomparable to the American East; the sheer population size is a condition that cannot be compared at all.

But today, it is completely different.

"Dad, I want to eat this!"

"Okay, okay, okay, I'll buy it for you!"

"Son, study hard! Mr. Van der Linde said that the next talent training program is about to start.

If you can be selected, then we will truly cross classes!"

"I know."

"Sh*t! You kid, you sleep in class every day.

Mr. Van der Linde gave you such a good opportunity, and you don't know how to cherish it!

Do you also want to be a laborer like me?"

The Heart of the Land in New Hanover, this place was chosen as the location for this parade due to its Gobi terrain, allowing the arriving public to stand on the Gobi on both sides and watch Mr. Van der Linde's parade ceremony more conveniently from a higher vantage point.

To revitalize the economy and provide more people with a livelihood and opportunities to strive, Mr. Van der Linde specifically designated a path for people to set up stalls here, selling water or food.

It must be said that Mr. Van der Linde truly cares for the country and its people.

Even on such an important occasion, he still prioritizes the interests of the American people, placing them above all else.

If he is not loved, who is?

The consumption that the poor dared not even dream of in the past is no longer so unattainable in today's New Hanover.

The workers' wages and treatment allow them to fully dare to spend a few dollars or even more than ten dollars to make their travel more comfortable.

Only when money is in the hands of the people can the economy truly circulate.

This is not nonsense; on the contrary, it is very reasonable.

Countless workers brought their children to the scene.

Their current high wages make them very willing to spend some money to make their children happy, which undoubtedly highlights that their current lives have indeed reached a state of happiness.

But similarly, involution and new classes have also begun to emerge.

This is human nature; even the best system cannot absolutely prevent it, which is also the fundamental reason for Mr. Van der Linde's extreme methods.

He just wants the good life of the American people to last a little longer, even just a little!

However, that is not important now; what is important is today's parade ceremony.

A high platform has been built on the plain of the Heart of the Land, the sunshade guest seats have been arranged, and Mr. Van der Linde's electronic microphone for his speech has also been set up perfectly.

Now, we just wait for the time to arrive, and then the grand parade will officially begin!

Mr. Van der Linde's grand parade is open and absolutely public.

Moreover, he will launch a full-scale war against the American East, Russian Empire, British Empire, and other aggressive countries after the parade.

Therefore, this parade will not only showcase the powerful weapon, Tank, but even planes will perform to boost his morale and deliver a devastating blow to the American East's desire for war!

The battle is about to begin, and various high-end weapons are about to be deployed to the battlefield, so at this point, concealing the existence of planes is meaningless.

At most, it would only buy a few days of time difference; it is better to directly expose them to increase our side's morale.

After all, in this era, there are no air raid shelters or anti-aircraft guns to shoot down planes.

As the time approached, the crowd at the scene grew larger and larger.

The entire Heart of the Land was almost completely occupied by people, carrying an incredibly huge flow of people, gathering the personnel from the dozen or so states currently occupied by Mr. Van der Linde!

A full 400,000 people gathered in the Heart of the Land, awaiting Mr. Van der Linde's final instructions!

Of course, 400,000 people doesn't sound like a small number, but the current population of Valentine has also reached this level after several rounds of expansion.

However, today's gathering in the Heart of the Land is not just because there are only so many people gathered, but because the venue can only accommodate so many people without chaos.

If the number of people were a little more, Mr. Van der Linde's management pressure would increase exponentially, so the upper limit of the number of people was restricted.

Even so, there were still many listeners gathered in Valentine and even Saint Denis, listening to the live broadcast for comfort.

As for those further away, they could only read newspapers.

There was no other way; broadcast technology was not yet mature in those days.

Although Mr. Marko had developed it, it still required some time to lay it out in various states.

Currently, only cities in New Hanover and Lemoyne have this honor.

At this time, the grand parade had not yet begun, but as the host of this grand parade, Mr. Ho-sea Matthews was currently having a makeup artist apply his makeup.

Oh, sh*t, makeup!

How could such a discordant word appear on these desperadoes?

But for the Van der Linde Gang, such a discordant word truly appeared on them at this time.

And not only was Matthews applying makeup, our strong man, Mr. Arthur Morgan, was also applying makeup.

Not only was he applying makeup, but all members of the Van der Linde Gang and newly joined members, as well as those who had achieved results during this period and were considered the first generation of elders of the VDL Party, were all applying makeup.

There was no other way; photos were to be taken of this grand parade.

Besides, this was the grandest ceremony, and it would be recorded in American history in the future, so it had to be taken seriously.

"Enough, I'm really fed up!

Dutch, I don't want to participate in this parade anymore!

Oh, God, I'd rather be covered in smelly mud than wear this stuff women use!"

Arthur sat obediently in the chair, allowing the female makeup artist beside him to adorn and embellish his face.

His rough skin was moisturized and soft, though not smooth, but it finally had a youthful appearance.

As the white powder was applied to his face, Arthur became increasingly agitated and embarrassed; he even felt restless.

"Sh*t! I didn't even have this damned feeling of fear when fighting the Russian Empire!"

Arthur felt the light fragrance on his body and the slickness on his face; he was even afraid that he would be laughed to death if he walked out.

"Oh, Arthur, you'll have to get used to it, Arthur.

We may often frequent high society in the future, real high society.

So simple makeup will be unavoidable for you later."

Mr. Trelawny sat generously in the seat next to Arthur, allowing the makeup artist to apply his makeup.

He was very used to this.

There was no other way; he mingled with all sorts of people and was long accustomed to it.

But this was completely different for the tough men of the Van der Linde Gang.

"F*ck! I don't want to put this stuff on my face; I'd rather put dog sh*t on it!"

A sharp roar sounded from the room next door, a voice that was incredibly familiar—it was Xiao Ma Ge's voice.

Then, Arthur's peripheral vision saw John dart out of the room next door, then flee madly outwards.

Oh, sh*t, although John's figure flashed by, he still saw that John's long hair had been shaved into a crew cut, and even half of his face showed slight signs of whiteness.

"Sh*t! John, what in the world are you doing?"

Dutch's angry shout sounded from another room, and as soon as his voice roared out, Abigail's voice followed.

"Let me go get him back, Dutch.

This damned John Marston!"

Arthur listened to Dutch's roar, let out a long sigh, and then sat back down obediently.

Forget it, just bear with it.

Thankfully, the host of this grand parade ceremony was Hosea.

If it were him, Arthur Morgan, he would rather shoot himself in the head.

It was necessary, and indeed inevitable, to clean up the image of the Van der Linde Gang.

After all, they were going to become the leaders of America; if they still looked like Micah, with long hair and leather cowboy jackets, it would be a huge embarrassment for Dutch Van der Linde!

So, everyone had to be reformed, from murderers to proper American gentlemen!

"Dutch, Dutch, I feel like I…" Bill walked by from outside, extremely shy, and Arthur looked up to see his current appearance.

Bill's messy beard was completely shaved, his disheveled hair was combed into a slicked-back style, and he was even wearing a brand-new suit with a large red flower pinned to his chest, and shiny leather shoes that stood out conspicuously on the floor. He looked energetic and dignified, a world of difference from his original disgusting old gay image!

"Oh~~~ sh*t!" Arthur was utterly shocked, looking at this Bill he had never seen before, feeling that this guy's mental outlook had improved more than tenfold!

"Arthur? Where's Dutch?" Bill pulled back the curtain of the dressing room and peeked inside.

Arthur shook his head and sighed, "Not here. Damn it, Bill, you know what? This is the first time I've ever thought you looked like a human being!"

"Sh*t, Arthur Morgan! I'm already glad you're not hosting today, otherwise, I can't imagine what the first thing you'd say to the audience on stage would be!"

Bill cursed, then turned and left Arthur's dressing room.

"Sigh!" Arthur sighed deeply, and from afar, he heard Hosea practicing his speech.

"ladies and gentlemen…"

"Hosea, I remember you're not from England? Why is your accent…" Before Arthur could finish, Hosea interrupted, "Sh*t, Arthur, can you just shut your mouth today? Especially when I'm giving my speech later, you'd better not secretly laugh in the back!

This is going into American history books! Arthur, you don't want a picture of you grinning to be taken and admired by the whole world, do you?"

This single sentence stopped Arthur, who was so concerned about his image.

The thought of his photo being admired by the whole world made Arthur feel somewhat unbearable.

But alas, no matter how shy he was, this grand parade was still about to begin.

"Arthur, John, David, Micah, Hosea, and everyone else, are you ready? It's time, gentlemen, ladies, I think it's time for us to go up!"

Dutch, dressed in a black and white leader's attire, exuded immense charisma.

He led the way, heading towards the main entrance.

Meanwhile, outside.

The number of people gathered at the Heart of the Land had completely exploded.

What does 400,000 people mean? It means that the Heart of the Land, this plain and Gobi desert area, was completely filled with dense crowds!

The dense flow of people was like black waves, stretching as far as the eye could see.

On the Gobi, on the plains, and even on the trunks of some trees, wherever there was open space, it was completely occupied by the crowd. 400,000 people on a battlefield could launch a massive war, but at this moment, so many people spontaneously gathered here, just to witness Mr. Van der Linde's grand parade.

As the time approached, the crowd gathered more and more frantically. Countless people converged here, even if they couldn't see the central platform due to the sheer number of people. Yet, no one left the venue. Instead, as the time drew nearer, their emotions grew even more intense, and they became even crazier!

Because the person holding this parade today was their savior, their reborn parent, the god who changed their destiny!

Even if God walked out of a fresco, he could not compare to the significance of Mr. Dutch Van der Linde in their hearts!

The air was scorching, but no one had any complaints. In the distance, the waiting soldier Team were making their final preparations. Although the massive Tank was covered by canvas, some people could still guess what terrifying object lay within, which only made the crowd more excited, and even their desire for battle surged!

People all have a robber's logic: when they are weaker than others, they only think about self-preservation; when they are stronger than others, they all think about conquest.

Finally, the time approached.

Amidst the sudden screams and cheers from the front rows, a line of figures stepped out from behind the erected parade stand!

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…"

The crowd instantly erupted, with fervent cheers and excited screams intertwining. The public's heightened emotions completely burst forth as Mr. Van der Linde emerged.

"Van der Linde!"

"Van der Linde!"

"..."

Mr. Dutch Van der Linde, accompanied by the loyal members of his Van der Linde Gang, arrived on the high platform to meet the loyal members of his Van der Linde Party, preparing to receive the grandest parade from the Van der Linde army!

"ladies and gentlemen, I am Dutch Van der Linde!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…"

The will of the people burned like fire, raging unrestrained!

The clamor of 400,000 people even caused the scene to spiral out of control, with some even fainting due to rapid breathing from excessive excitement.

However, fortunately, people in this era had good physical fitness and some first aid knowledge. Those who fainted from excitement could receive effective treatment, and after successful treatment, they could get excited again, faint again, and receive treatment again…