On the seaside in early April, sporadic drizzle fell. Outside Mintun Village around Jinwan City, there are large and lush mixed-breed bean fields that have begun to be harvested.
In the name of the Lord God's guidance, and under the guidance of the kingdom's priests, new agricultural technological innovations, accompanied by higher food yields, are being promoted in the villages around Jinwan City in an orderly manner. And the hearts and minds of various coastal ministries and flag corps have become more stable with the increase in food production like God's blessing!
"The priests have inspected the recent harvest...according to the water and heat conditions of the seaside land, it is indeed possible to plant two crops a year...the 'Three Sisters' staple food in summer and autumn, and soybeans from the fertile fields in autumn and spring. And when the cassava reproduction begins, Come, you can also plant barren mountain fields and use them as daily food rations for ordinary tribal people..."
After breakfast, Shulot was wearing a short robe and sitting cross-legged in the main hall, reviewing the latest reports coming from everywhere. His life has been very regular recently. He gets up at dawn and practices martial arts with the captain of the bodyguard. Then, after breakfast, he began to review the kingdom's documents and guide the government affairs of the Coastal Alliance. And when you sit down to work and have a quick bite at noon, you will be busy until the evening.
Later, after a big meal in the evening, he would go to Elaine the Cat's for some fresh desserts. Play with the cat again and enjoy a pleasant dream. Although Colima's "cat" is a bit wild and likes to bite people, it is actually very easy to pet and will purr contentedly. And when the fun is over, the "cat" is easily satisfied and does not make any noise or fuss. She would just stare with cute eyes, lie on his body like a lynx, and look at him dreamily.
To be honest, a simple "cat" doesn't have as many tempting tricks as a charming snake girl, which can turn people into beasts. However, she is very reassuring and can make people laugh out loud. Shulot could see through her at a glance, so it was extremely easy to get along with her, and he could sleep soundly every night.
"Relaxing days are such a luxury!..."
Xuelote smiled as he recalled it, and then flipped through the documents on the docket. From time to time, personal guards would come in a hurry, bringing the latest oral messages and paper letters. The captain of the guard, Eckart, sorted out the transcripts according to their importance, and then respectfully placed them on Shulot's desk, waiting for His Highness to review them.
"Well, Yun She Mountain City, Black Snake Turcotte's request? The back mountain fortress where he is stationed is short of salt and food. Do you want to smuggle some from the kingdom's siege army?"
After seeing this piece of information, Shulot pondered for a long time and suddenly asked the captain of the guard.
"Eckart! When did Mecat, Chihuako, and the Dark Snake team meet up with the Black Snake Turcotte?"
"Master! During the New Year Festival, the first document arrived from the warrior chief, saying that the black snake and the dark snake were connected... It is now the beginning of April, exactly three months later!"
"Three months? Black Snake Turcotte hesitated for three months before sending a tentative reply for the first time... It seems that in his heart, he doesn't think much of his son Dark Snake!... That's also true. , if he valued it, he would not have lost his son, and Chengpo would have run away... Well, no matter what, private communication was finally established, which is also a rare opportunity!..."
Shulot thought for a while and then asked again.
"How long has it been since the siege of Cloud Snake Fortress? How long have they been without salt?"
"Master, in the Monkey Month of the Nine Flint Years (April 1488), King Avit led an army and began to besiege the three Snake Cities. By this time, in the House Month of the Twelve Reed Years (April 1491), Yun Snake Mountain City had already It has been besieged for three full years!...A strict salt cut-off order has been issued for more than two years. The salt in Yun She Fortress must have been used up long ago, and it is estimated that it has been cut off for at least a year!..."
The captain of the guard, Eckart, thought for a while and found an old military report.
"Your Highness, at the end of last year, people from Yunshe Fortress were driven down the mountain by the defenders. Almost all of them were swollen and pale, like walking corpses... and according to their descriptions, there was no salty food on the mountain. The stones and soil were collected by the defenders and left to be licked by the divine descendants and warriors stationed there... As for ordinary city residents, even the family members of small nobles, they have not tasted salt for months..."
"Well, the siege has been going on for three years!... Even though there is still food in Yunshe Mountain City, the will of the ordinary defenders has probably fallen to the bottom!...According to Black Snake, Yunshe Mountain City plus the camps in the surrounding mountains , there were initially more than 10,000 people! However, after three years of siege, only Yunshe Qianshan and Houshan remained. Excluding the tribal people who died of illness, starvation, war, and those who were driven down the mountain, there were only 2,000 people in Qianshan at this time. The warrior militia and the thousand-strong garrison in the back mountain are all supported by the fields and springs in the front and back mountains..."
Seeing this, Shulot lowered his eyes slightly. Yunshe Mountain City went from being surrounded by more than 10,000 people to only 3,000 people left. One can imagine the tragic situation. But what is surprising is that the morale of the noble warriors suppressed in Qianshan is still stable. The city continued to drive the tribesmen down the mountain, but there was no large-scale cannibalism, which showed that the city still had a stable food output. Under such circumstances, it is estimated that it will take another year to continue the siege of the city!
"What a tough Yun Serpent tribe, what a stubborn Cloud Serpent descendant! ... What a natural and dangerous terrain! ..."
"After Yunshe Mountain City is conquered, should this unfailing fortress be completely destroyed?...Perhaps, I can leave a group of priests from the kingdom and hundreds of temple warriors to occupy this dangerous fortress... Well, just in the name of building a temple and suppressing the Cloud Snake God!..."
Shulot thought for a while, then looked at the captain of the guard who had prepared some paper and ink, and ordered in a deep voice.
"King's order! The surrender of the Cloud Snake Fortress will be left to the warrior chief to make decisions on the fly! In addition, the salt requested by Black Snake Turcotte will be smuggled to him by the besieging legion! In addition, he can be given eight more A month’s worth of food for a hundred people!…”
"Ah? Patriarch! You want to give salt to the Black Snake in the Cloud Snake Fortress, but also give him food?... Lord God! Why is this?..."
Hearing this, the guard captain Ekart showed surprise on his face. He looked at Shulot with doubts on his face, waiting for the wise head of the family to give him some advice.
"Ha! Eckart, you guy!..."
Seeing this, Shulot laughed and shook his head. Regardless of whether the captain of the guard really didn't understand or pretended not to understand, he enjoyed the process of giving instructions and explanations and did so naturally.
"Black Snake was once the Lord of Water Valley City and a descendant of the Tlaxcala people. He fled to Yunshe Mountain City. Although his identity is still there, he has lost his foundation and cannot control many warriors in the city. Therefore, if he really wants to raise If the city surrenders, it really needs a batch of food and salt to prove to some of the defenders in the city its relationship with outside the city! Yes, so that these people can follow him and surrender!..."
"Of course, his request for food and salt from the besieged Kingdom Legion is also a kind of temptation! If we don't even give him these things, how can he believe my promise to him? After all, he doesn't believe me! Regarding what he wants, Don't surrender and keep hesitating..."
"But if he really accepts the kingdom's food and salt... then it's not up to him whether to surrender or not! After all, this kind of collusion with an old enemy is very fatal! As long as it is leaked to the descendants of the Cloud Snake God in the city, even if Ordinary warriors can accept it, but Tepetik, the Lord of Cloud Snake City, will never accept any excuse! He will only kill Black Snake immediately!..."
Speaking of this, Shulot had a faint look on his face, feeling inexplicably emotional.
"Whether Black Snake Turcotte really surrenders or is a fake surrender... as long as he can get supplies from the bottom of the mountain, it will shake the Cloud Snake City Lord Tepetik's control over the entire fortress... and in this life and death situation, At this juncture, the person who threatens and shakes the power of City Lord Yun She is his life-and-death enemy!... If Lord Yun She didn't have such a consciousness, it would be impossible to defend to this day!..."
"Ah! That's it! The master of the house is wise!"
Eckart, the captain of the guard, knelt respectfully with admiration on his face. After a few breaths, the sincere admiration on his face turned into heartfelt joy.
"Blessed by the Lord God! It seems that the everlasting Cloud Snake Fortress will finally fall into your hands!..."
"Haha! God's blessing! As long as we break through the Cloud Snake Fortress and the Hidden Snake Holy City... this Eastern Expedition, which lasted for more than three years, has finally been completed!..."
"Yes! Patriarch! You have destroyed cities and countries one after another, but you have accomplished something unprecedented in the alliance's epic!..."
Having said this, the captain of the guard, Eckardt, pursed his lips, calmly, and admonished again naturally.
"Praise the Lord God! Your advice just now really makes me admire and make me very uneasy!... As long as the threat shakes the power, it will be your life and death enemy... The head of the family! Regarding the envoy recently sent by the alliance... Regarding the king's request, you cannot always It’s about giving in…”
"Witness the Lord God! Eckart, stop talking!...I know my choice very well...Next, I will only give in this time..."
Shulot glanced at Ekart who was lying on the ground, rubbed his swollen brows, and sighed softly.
"The king has sent several waves of envoys. I know the inner and outer meanings of his words, as well as his thoughts! The alliance must not break out a civil war at this time... Therefore, I have promised the king The envoy will definitely return to the capital in the lake to participate in the sacred ceremony after the Eastern Expedition is over!..."
"The capital city in the lake will be a gorgeous cage, the cage Avit prepared for me. I will walk into the cage by myself, but I will not stay for too long. As long as my prophecy comes true, the white-skinned demon's big ship arrives... Avit With greater threats and enemies, he will turn his attention away from me. He will believe my previous promises and my reasons for asking for the seaside land..."
Having said this, Shulot paused, with a rare hesitation on his face. In fact, after experiencing so many things, his trust in King Avit was already very weak. And the only thing that really convinced him that he was willing to risk returning to the capital in the lake, apart from the great cause of the alliance, the future of the kingdom, his father, his son... was his wife Alyssa!
"Alyssa, I believe in her!...My cloud spirit, she has never failed me...I will give my life to her once...as..."
Shulot pursed his lips, thinking of the beautiful figure in white and the letter from the golden eagle, and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes, waved his hands, and kept the last low self-talk deeply in his heart.
"Just think of it as...I owe you...my wife, Alyssa..."
"As long as you are still here, I will never fight with Avitt in the civil war for power!...I will wait patiently...and this is also the promise I promised you! On that letter you hand-drawn, you held my hand , also holding your father’s hand, at the beginning of the story, and also at the end of the story..."
(End of chapter)
