With local snakes who are familiar with the local environment, walking through without attracting attention becomes as easy as eating and drinking. Following the lead of Qingshi and others, the group walked through the twists and turns of alleys and streets, quickly moving towards the center of Swamp Village.
Although the bustling center of the city cannot be directly seen, the firelight flashing from time to time in the cold dark corners is getting brighter and brighter, and the noisy and noisy sounds of the city that never sleeps can be heard clearly through the buildings, coming in waves like a tide. They are all indirectly reminding everyone of the fact that they are close.
It's all twisted and twisted, making you dizzy. If Qing Shi and others were not with them, they would definitely get lost in it. The group of people could only follow each other closely, walking left and right, but they approached the center step by step.
"The terrain has become higher." The Luoan girl holding the little unicorn whispered.
"Yes." The sage nodded. Qingshi in front heard the conversation between the two and glanced back, but did not say anything. When there are only two people talking, Mira usually uses Avenela. Compared to the Lamanites, who have had 150 years of exchanges with each other, the people of the Moon Country are completely unfamiliar with this language. The different pronunciation attracted Qingshi's attention, but even before that, he had probably seen from details such as appearance and height that the sage and his party were very different from the foreigners who came to Crescent Continent in the past.
Although due to the border with Suomir, it is common for Lamanite ships to have Suomir sailors who are tall and strong and are naturally suitable for service. But the empire has great ambitions for Crescent Continent, so how can it allow others to take action? Relying on the strong naval support and the world-leading navigation technology in Rigal, apart from Padrosi, only the ships of the Southern City-State Alliance can communicate with the Crescent Continent.
Although there are slight cultural differences between the two, they are both Lamanites, so they generally live in peace with each other.
It is not an exaggeration to say that the Lamanites have monopolized communication with the Crescent Continent. Although the Kingdom of the Moon has many restrictions on them, on the other hand, due to technical limitations and the isolation of knowledge, the empire’s achievements here for more than a century are also beyond the reach of other countries.
For 150 years, Henry, Mira, and Galeva were the only foreign visitors to this land besides Lamanite missionaries, merchants, and upper-class elites.
Only a few keen people noticed this special feature.
This land is about to undergo drastic changes. In the society that has been peaceful for 4,000 years, something is stirring in the dark.
This may not happen anytime soon, but it has been a long time in the making.
The Padrosi Empire and the Moon Country are two countries with the same long history.
It also has its own internal problems.
We also face the challenges of changing times.
One is cautious, conservative, and uses strong monarch power to suppress and maintain stability.
The other is free and undisciplined, spreading his claws for the purpose of expansion and profit.
The relatively peaceful contact has come to an end after a century and a half. It started with the White Church's missionaries poaching and inciting rebellion. Although it seems more like an internal problem of the Moon Country, anyone with a discerning eye knows that the Empire plays a role in this. What kind of role.
Although it never tolerates internal harshness, perhaps due to the reserve of a large country, the Moon Kingdom's external approach is conservative and tolerant. The high-ranking nobles of Xinjing did not even kill all the Lamanite missionaries who incited rebellion.
Judging from the idea that good people will suffer, this approach is obviously more like condoning the empire's conspiracy.
But even if given the chance, is Padrosi certain to win?
Even Alfonso wouldn't be able to give a confident answer to this question.
There are too many problems within the empire. The cooperation between the church, the nobility, and the merchants represented by the Southern Territory is not so much a united effort among the Lamanites, but rather a short-lived community of interests.
Padrosi's emperor does not have the strong appeal and ability to centralize power that the Emperor of the Kingdom of the Moon has. Without a strong leader, this external expansion group is loose and lacks long-term goals and firm beliefs. They are a group of rabble. Once the situation begins to become unfavorable, businessmen will inevitably be the first to evacuate, and then they will It's all the nobles.
Amid internal and external troubles and disunity, if too much energy is allocated to the far east, the next place that will have problems will be the empire itself.
Like two big rivers colliding, the intersection must be filled with fierce turbulence. But beneath the majestic surface, the rolled-up river sand and gravel represent the intertwined positions and hearts of various powerful people and stakeholders.
But let us just look at the sage and his party who are in the Northland at this moment, and most people still know nothing about their arrival.
Compared with the prominent figures at the center of the collision, neither Henry nor the leader of the swamp village they were about to meet at this moment could only be regarded as insignificant little characters.
Like a fish swept up in a rapid current, it swung its tail and tried its best.
Just to survive.
————
————
"tread--"
After a full 15-minute walk in the dark alley, everyone felt suddenly enlightened when they saw the brightly lit broad flat land again.
Wangshan ran to death, and even the sage did not realize how big the swamp village was before going deeper. Although there is no official recognition, and there is no noble family as the city lord, so it cannot call itself a city. However, considering the local powerful forces and the overall size, although this swamp village is still a village in name, its scale is not an exaggeration to say that it is a town. .
They walked all the way, reaching a height of more than one meter toward the central part of the ground. Although this part of the change was so long that only combat professionals such as Mira and Henry who were sensitive to the environment noticed it, it also revealed a lot of information.
The swamp is not a place suitable for human life. Even in such a northern place, all kinds of poisonous insects and beasts are infested in midsummer. Regardless of this point, the soft mud itself is difficult to build a house on.
But all this can be changed through human effort.
Excavation, filling and compaction. Raising the foundations allows them to be exposed above the water, giving them a chance to become stable dry hard ground if they don't get soaked. And from this, luxury like the brightly lit multi-story mansion with a large courtyard placed in front of the group of people has a solid foundation for the building.
This must have been the site of the original swamp villages, and today the most powerful people live here. The dark part of the river embankment where Henry and others hid at the beginning was later expanded and filled, and it has not yet reached livable standards. It is full of snakes, insects, rats, and ants. It is a poor place with a lot of moisture because it is close to the water.
Brightly lit and full of laughter, the psychedelic dream-like center is in sharp contrast to the cold, lifeless surroundings. And along the way, some poor people who heard the noise and popped up to take a look quickly closed their doors and windows after seeing the leader Qing Shi. This further proved that although there are no real Moon Country nobles here, There are also strict levels of facts.
Land reclamation, steady expansion required unified division of manpower and command, combined with the fact that all the elite ninjas in Xinjing were recruited, the place looked messy and dirty.
Most likely it was just for the higher-ups to see, trying to eradicate the appearance in order to avoid being regarded as a thorn in the side.
"Sir." The guard at the door wearing ashigaru armor and holding a spear nodded to Qingshi, and then the leader glanced back at Henry: "Please come in." He said politely, but still did not give the right to refuse. .
"Please let my men lead these horses to the side." Qingshi raised his hand to stop the Luoan girl, but Mira frowned: "It, follow me." She didn't trust these people, If these guys discover the unique identity of the little unicorn, they may face what kind of crisis.
"..." Qingshi silently observed the snow-white little unicorn, and then looked at Henry.
"..." The sage shrugged without saying a word, then took a step to stop Mira and the little unicorn.
"Okay." The gray-haired leader breathed out and took a step back. The men behind him moved slightly, and the Luoan girl noticed that the alert formation was lifted.
The training of these people was no less than that of the group of red-armored warriors they had encountered before.
The "Tata" mansion is made of stone door frames and large wooden walls. The wooden walls are painted with black paint to prevent corrosion from moisture. After crossing the steps, the group of people stepped on the mud again.
"The Lord is waiting for you all in the back hall." Qingshi said and continued to lead the way. Ai Ji noticed that it became quiet behind him and looked back. Suddenly, he found that Qing Shi's men who were following him were gone. He pulled Galeva, and the young porter who turned around made a fuss: "Wow!" , but it didn’t cause much reaction from others.
Continuing forward, the courtyard is divided into corridors and several rooms. The doors and windows are the same as those in Heren Fishing Village that we have visited before. They are made of wooden frames and paper window paper. In addition, the ground is supported by wooden frames to further prevent moisture erosion.
The faint smell of burning firewood came from the west side, and a group of servants in simple clothes happened to run by holding firewood. In the open space where they started, a man who was not tall but very strong was using an ax to chop more wooden piles into firewood.
He noticed the movement and looked over here, and then when he saw Galeva and Henry, maybe their tall figures were stimulated to be competitive or something, he raised his head and stared straight at them.
"Why am I being stared at?" The dull young man glanced back at the Luoan girl holding the horse, who rolled her eyes without saying a word.
"I will accompany you here. Please enter on your own. Also, this...spiritual beast." Qingshi used the same words that Ling used before. It was obvious that he had seen through the little one-horned horn. The extraordinary identity of the beast.
After all, the horns on the head of the growing little guy are getting longer and longer, and even if they are covered with a blouse, they will still highlight the outline.
"..." Mira glanced at Henry, and the sage shrugged.
"Huh." Seeing that she had been discovered anyway, the Luoan girl simply took off the blouse that the little guy didn't like very much.
"Hiss." The humane little unicorn actually didn't like the feeling of being covered by things. He was very obedient and didn't resist just to hide his eyes from others. After being taken off and relaxed, it came over and rubbed against the Luoan girl.
"Hiss--" The white and very sacred appearance made many people around him stunned for a moment, including Qingshi, but he still paused: "Please stay outside." He said, but he was not right. Not talking about humans, but speaking directly to the little guy.
"Hiss." In response, the little unicorn snorted. The group of people paused a little and started walking towards the big room in the back hall.
"We were not asked to hand over our weapons." Mira said.
"Yes." The sage nodded.
"And even the powerful-looking team leader and his men didn't follow him. He seems quite confident." The Luoan girl imitated her teacher and shrugged, while the sage imitated her in turn. Rolled his eyes.
"The teacher is such a terrible adult." Mira rolled her eyes, and this time Henry shrugged.
"We're here." They walked to the door. There were no guards here. The room looked quite big and the lights were bright inside. From here, you could see many people sitting inside.
"It's Temulun and the others, and -" His voice was heard before they were seen, and Miss Doctor's clear and steady words came to everyone's ears through the open door.
"Then I would like to ask you, is it correct to rely on others to survive? As a woman, you can only rely on men to survive? You cannot be independent. Forgive me for not agreeing with your point of view!" Ling spoke quickly, and With a little anger.
"So." After a moment of silence, a lazy female voice sounded.
"What does your so-called independence bring you?" She answered, then raised her eyes and glanced at Henry and others who were stepping into the door at this moment.
"Ah, they are all here." Galeva once again made a stupid statement. He looked at the whole room blankly and found that it was not only Temulun and others, but also the company who had detoured and was supposed to be waiting to rendezvous at the front. Women and children are here too.
"It seems that we have found the reason why we were discovered." Mira sighed, and Lulu, who was looking over here, glanced at her with an apologetic look.
"You should really leave some capable people to lead the women and children. There was such a big movement that our patrol encountered them as soon as they set off." Sitting upright on the right, his hairstyle and face are very similar to Qingshi but he is ten years younger. , a man who looked like his brother said: "Dr. Xingyong and the Yi people's group. After paying a little attention, I found several people in the village carrying a large amount of silver."
"But this is really unexpected."
"Are there white-robed men with wax ink, and swordsmen from foreign countries..." He said, finally turning his eyes to the people sitting in the high seats, who had been observing silently since Henry and his entourage came in. .
"Lord, what do you think?" The younger version of Qingshi raised his eyes and spoke in a humble tone.
"Huh——" The woman in gorgeous clothes and heavy makeup who had argued with Ling before sat on the chair on the left and exhaled a puff of smoke. The thin, stubble-faced man with long hair sitting on the chair in the center slowly stood up.
"No matter what you are thinking, you'd better let us go." Before he spoke, the sage said these words in a calm and unhurried tone.
"..." The expressions of everyone sitting on the right became serious.
"Outsiders, I forgive you for being disrespectful to the Lord the first time. If there is a second time, don't blame the ruthless knife in my hand." A man with a stern face and a scar on his face said this, but the sage said to him The threat was not taken seriously.
"Interesting." One-Eyed Dragon said, "I've seen some Lamo people, but you don't look like them."
"Besides, this is the first time I've seen a Southern Barbarian warrior."
"I want my men to compete with you to see if the sword comparable to an Odachi and your physique behind your back are just decorations. But before that -" The one-eyed dragon stretched out the index finger of his right hand and clicked "Ta He tapped the side of his face, and then said: "You might as well tell me what kind of secrets you have mastered."
"Why would the vassal kings in the far north go to such great lengths to put him to death?"
"The level of my spies in the army is not high enough. Although I know that there is an action, no one knows the specific reason. I only know that I am chasing a small team of foreigners, and I have given an order to kill the wrong one rather than let it go." He Then he said: "This makes people have to pay attention."
"I can more or less guess what they are planning secretly. But we are not in conflict with each other. If they respect me, I will respect others. But at the critical moment of this kind of plan, they do not hesitate to risk being noticed by Xinjing. The danger is high, and we will mobilize personnel to deal with you all. What you all have, I guess." The one-eyed dragon leaned in front of Henry and looked up at him, tapping the sage's chest with his right index finger and said: "Is it something that can abort their plan?"
"Are you with them?" Henry looked down at the thin man who was a head shorter than him.
"I am with myself." The other party smiled and replied.
"Don't you think it's quite appropriate? The excluded ethnic minority, the Yi tribe; the swordsman of the foreigners; the female doctor who can't achieve much in the National Academy of Sciences no matter how hard she works." The one-eyed dragon turned around and said loudly: "Also There are declined nobles, ronin who were sent to remote areas by the new capital and even had their surnames and family names taken away from them. We are all outsiders. Watching the nobles fighting back and forth, don’t you think it’s time for a new force to appear in this land! "
"Yes!" "The Lord said yes!" The woman sitting sideways puffed out smoke and looked on with cold eyes, while the warriors below loudly agreed.
"The human heart is not enough for a snake to swallow an elephant." The sage shrugged and said.
"You guy!" The scar-faced warrior stood up angrily and planned to draw his sword and strike at the sage, but before that, the young version of Qingshi ran to him in an instant and punched him in the stomach. .
"Ahem—" With just one punch, the scar-faced warrior fell to the ground and began to twitch.
"The Lord drew the sword without giving orders, dragged him out and threw it away." He moved his head, and the two people next to him who were still drinking and chatting with this man lifted him up and walked out of the back door, throwing him in the into the yard.
"So, what? Tell me, it's your little secret." The one-eyed dragon continued to tap the sage's chest with his fingers, and Henry shrugged for the second time.
"Do you smell something?"
"Taste?" The one-eyed dragon was stunned, and the smoking woman also stopped. The people present, including the younger version of Qingshi, the Luoan girl, Galeva, and others, all looked up at him.
"Blood and." Henry said in an unhurried tone: "The smell of burning."
"Bang——!!" The patrol leader wearing old armor that he had seen outside before rushed in with blood all over his body.
"Three, Master Saburo."
"Lords of feudal lords, princes of feudal lords——"
"I told you, you should have let us go earlier." Henry sighed and turned around.
The people playing around all turned their heads because of the sudden firelight in the distance. The houses in the direction of the door were ablaze with raging fires. In many places, people ran out screaming and burning, but they were immediately hit by a huge Killed by arrows.
"Dong dong dong -" the sound of galloping horses sounded, and a team of dozens of people spread out and rode wildly while throwing the torches in their hands onto the roofs of houses on the edge of the river embankment in Swamp Village.
The burning flames began to spread, causing the thatched roof to catch fire, and the cluttered buildings further contributed to the spread of the fire.
In just a few moments, the poor man's home at the entrance turned into a sea of flames.
"Dong dong——" The samurai, whose number reached several hundred, began to walk into the village surrounded by more than two thousand ashigaru.
"Kill them all." The leader, who was wearing bright red armor and had a look of deep hatred on his young face, waved the high-quality sword in his hand and said in a cold tone.
"Kill them all, burn them all, don't let anyone escape."
"I must use that villain's life to sacrifice my brother's spirit in heaven!!"
It takes a genius to remember the address of this website in one second:.. Mobile version reading URL: m.
