Take Taobao with you to another world

Looking to the left, thick smoke billows from the chimneys of the brick kilns, and the mud bricks under the grass cover are endless; Opposite the preserved hotel, the old shop fronts disappeared without a trace. On the new foundation, the building framework made of bricks and stones has taken shape. With sufficient material supply, a row of new buildings may be erected in a month. Standing shoulder to shoulder with this hotel; looking across the checkerboard-like plots and looking into the distance, those thatched huts that grow rapidly like weeds are temporary residences for local residents and outsiders, and foreigners offer shelter to those The townspeople promised that everyone would be able to move into their new sturdy dwellings by the end of the summer; and from the harbor behind came the loud flute of another new white ship or new arrivals, day after day. , These endless supplies from the lairs of foreigners poured into the city like a flood, and a little imagination of the wealth they represent is suffocating. Compared with the water brought by those merchants desperately fighting for the transaction quota, it is just a drop in the bucket...

And their greed for population is also unrestrained. With the reputation established by the plague and this war, the foreigners absorbed at least one-third of the foreign population of the residents of Maxi City.Obviously, this is not enough for them. They even asked traders to spread the news of recruiting people. In addition to selling benefits for this purpose, they also promised to add new flights to pick up those who might migrant.Judging from the consistent behavior of the Gentiles, this promise, which no one actually asked for, will soon become a reality.

As for the dissatisfaction and protests that may be caused by doing so, the former Gentile leader in charge of all transactions said patiently: "It doesn't matter, we will talk slowly one place at a time. We believe that time will prove it for us. This approach is fine for most people."

Before the lesson of blood, these words were wishful thinking that made people laugh, but after the war that caused the actual demise of a prince in a day, they became hair-raising smiles--there is no single person in the river. The lord has enough financial resources and manpower to assemble an army of thousands of people, and the foreigners can outnumber the Earl's elite soldiers with a hundred, not to mention their self-aware mob?A white ship can hold at least 300 people. When foreigners go to "ask" them to open the port, how many people can say "no"?

As for the appetite of the foreigners, whether they can really swallow it, looking at the current city of Maxi, it seems to be a problem that no outsiders need to worry about.The Gentiles weren't rebuilding a city, they were almost, literally, totally building an empire.As for those superficial excuses, saying that they were trying to save a serious disaster, who would believe it now?Who can believe it?

Even if everyone doesn't believe it, who can stop them now?

The nobleman asked in a low voice, "Where is the count now?"

"At our feet, a small room," said his companion.

The nobleman murmured, "He is indeed here."

The city of Maxi has been completely demolished. It is said that the prison has now been converted into a cesspool. Although those who moved in for the purpose of trading can still move around, the city has now become a huge construction site, and everything can be seen at a glance. Surely, if they behave suspiciously, they will be noticed not only by the faithful eyes and ears of the Gentiles of the Brotherhood and Sisterhood, but also by the city dwellers who give everything to the Gentiles for a single promise.Besides, it was unlikely that the Gentiles would have kept this noble captive in a poor neighborhood, so there were not many options left.

The nobleman's companion, the well-dressed bandit leader, said: "Regardless of the current mood of that adult, living in such a place with bright light, tidy beds, and regular meals is considered comfortable. It's just that even those who don't The wounded soldiers who were able to die loyally were healed and then let go, but the foreigners have not yet come to negotiate with him and discuss the issue of ransom, the Earl is obviously quite confused and angry."

"Gentiles are accustomed to using hypocrisy to buy people's hearts, so naturally they dare not kill them. They have limited manpower, and their minions may not be loyal, and they cannot control so many captives. When they won, they did not and did not hunt down those A defeated army." The nobleman said, "Maybe they haven't figured out the price yet, so they don't know how to treat him."

"According to you, the Gentile is like a novice knight with a treasure in his hand. Even if he defeats his opponent, he is still a fledgling fool."

The nobleman snorted and said in a low voice, "The gods were blinded for a while, and they gave these monsters power."

The bandit leader hooked his lips.

"If they make an offer, who will pay?" he asked.

"The earl's accumulation is very rich." said the nobleman.

"If the Gentiles make ransoms based on their own wealth..."

"They're not that stupid," the noble interrupted him.

"... Few people can afford it." The bandit leader finished what he wanted to say slowly. I found a city, and then people fled here like deer looking for water. I also heard that the count spent all his money for this war, hoping to squeeze rich oil from the corpses of foreigners? Unfortunately, the fat sheep he fancy has sharp teeth and sharp mouths , harder than iron, sharper than a knife..."

"Shut up." The nobleman said coldly, "This is not something you should care about."

The bandit leader snorted, and said eccentrically, "Yes, my lord."

The nobleman glanced at him again, and pointed his chin at the table not far away. The bandit leader walked over, picked up the leather bag, pulled the rope and took a look inside, and then another look.

"Wow," said the notorious bandit as he fastened his bag tightly and stuffed it into his arms, "Jinla is always so beautiful, I would give everything including my life for her. Besides, you really You are a generous employer, and I can forgive your ignorance."

"It's just a deposit." The nobleman was not angry, "After sending the earl to the river, you can get all the remaining money."

The bandit leader looked back at him, "So, the difficulty is just how do we get the count out of the hotel?"

The nobleman said: "Aren't you experts in doing this? Use your own brains, don't just sit back and enjoy what you get. If you do a good job, I can consider asking for a pardon for you after it is done." After coercing and luring, he Staring at the man with wild eyes on the opposite side, "Remember, the Earl is very, very important. He is the only one who has fought the Gentiles head-on and knows their weapons and strength. We need him. Don't trust the Gentiles. Ecstasy, the prosperity they created is an illusion, allowing them to continue to expand is an unimaginable disaster, we need all power to deal with them, including people like you, do you understand?"

The bandit leader stared at him for a while, then laughed.

"Of course, my lord," he said

A day later, a guest settled the room fee, and his caravan left Marci with the goods.A Hong merchant wandered around the city for two days before saying to the head of the trading department, "I want to meet your new boss."

The middle-aged man looked up at him from behind the table, "Oh? Do you have anything to say to me?"

The copper-skinned merchant smiled and said, "Someone wants to set fire to the hotel."

"For the earl, is it?" asked the man in charge.

Hang Shang blinked, "It seems that this is not new news, but I know something else."

"Actually... this news is still new to us." The person in charge said.

The merchant laughed happily, "That's really great. Then, can I get some insignificant rewards for the information I risked my life to get?"

The person in charge pondered for a moment, "In that case..."

Then Anzalu walked on the road.

The rising sun scorched his back, and the sweat ran down his spine. The road of sand that was as hard as a stone and the vision of dry white mud gave people an illusion that he It seems to have returned to the wasteland in the dry season, but unlike that dead world, this desolate area is full of fresh traces after human transformation.When Anzalu looked around, behind the black-painted wooden signs on the side of the road, besides the piles of bricks, stones and wood, there were still many people working hard while the morning sun was bearable.Although the fine linen clothes worn by these workers were new and strong, they still looked dusty, and the straw hats on their heads seemed a little too bright, like swarms of stone ants gathered around the food.There were constant stock trucks drawn by horses and oxen passing the robber who was about to betray his employer. Everyone seemed to only care about their own work. They would look at Ansaru, but they would not ask who he was. What are you doing here.Occasionally, fresh livestock manure can be seen on the road, but it will soon be shoveled into a gray truck.

As someone with a reputation in the dark world, Ansalu didn't dare to boast how well-informed he was, but there was no doubt that Gentiles were remarkable everywhere.Just like what he saw now, even the way they build the city is very...unusual.

The words on the wooden signs inserted at equal distances are neither hymns to promote heresy nor spells to control people's hearts. Gentiles use two languages ​​to mark the order of the plots cut by straight ravines , what purpose they will be built for, which artisan team will be in charge, who is the leader of the team, how many people are in this team, and what are their names... those signs with today's process written in stone pen There is a box-like leather bag hanging on the top, which contains a paper book that everyone under the rule of the Gentiles must receive. The first half of the paper book is a printed literacy picture, and the second half is almost a blank form. These forms must be marked with special strokes as a record of his team members completing the work, and then the numbers recorded on these paper books, called "work points", will be used by the team leader within two days or a few days Cashed into bills, workers and their families can take these colorful paper bills to the canteen, to the cloth shop, to the grocery store, to any shop of the Gentiles to exchange for what they need.

Thinking back to killing the Gentiles in a legitimate and legal way, someone carefully planned many convincing charges for them, such as privately minting coins, which is full of skill and room for turnover, but more people think it is unnecessary. The word "heresy" is enough to explain everything.Although Gentiles don't care about their reasons.After the war ended in an unexpected way, it was a little surprising that the foreigners, as victors, had to use this seemingly troublesome method to replace the normal currency.

In fact, they do not prohibit the general circulation of coins, and there are special places for people to exchange paper bills and metal currency one-way, but the small exchange counter flourished for only two days before being ignored by people, because people found that the same Coins and paper notes, the latter can be exchanged for much more items than the former.Even though some merchants have tempted some people to use paper notes to get goods to resell, under the obviously carefully calculated exchange ratio of the Gentiles, this practice is beneficial to the merchants, but it is not worth the loss to those who pay the paper notes. For those who still miss their homeland and want to save a little wealth, for those who come to this city with almost nothing, those salt, sugar, flint, cloth, farm tools... are more important than simple money. valuable.

All loyalty is based on interests.Ansalu had never seen, nor imagined, such rulers, who could control their subjects so quickly and thoroughly, and in a sense, who spent almost nothing. People cannot live without them.Although the Gentiles haven't done it completely enough, there were many people who asked for it when they were running the hotel seemingly harmlessly, and they are fully capable of making a few gold caves here to recover their investment, so that You may not even have to pay for the material that replaces the currency, but the Gentiles seem to be practitioners of some special ascetic sect, who strictly abide by some kind of unnamed law, and never go beyond the threshold.

But the Gentiles were not without desires.In fact, their desires are so terrifying that anyone who takes a look at the city can tell.

Ansa Road didn't come directly from the hotel. After he left the hotel, he went around to the east first, re-entered the city from the edge of the rubble, and walked through the city along the repaired road. He looked all the way.In his sharp eyes, the immigrant area in the east of the city is a pot of mixed soup that has not yet boiled. Outsiders, locals, and foreigners are mixed with each other, like beans of different colors, and the boundaries are both chaotic and clear; Living quarters, outsiders follow natives, natives obey Gentiles, Gentiles rule and educate all, these people eat, work, live together, organized, orderly, if regardless of their rude words and deeds, many people make a living every day It was just exchanging physical strength for food and enjoyment, which almost looked like a college; and then, the scene of life was gradually replaced by monotonous, regular, and heavy labor.

After walking such a long distance on Ansa Road, I have never seen a few idlers. Thousands of craftsmen and coolies are scattered on the vast construction site. Their duties are busy around all kinds of huge mechanical creations. Even if there are a few people who rest while others are working, they are neither foreigners from the appearance, nor leaders from the color badges on their arms. People or skilled craftsmen, they should just be ordinary people who had a fever or suffered some minor injuries.Ansalu did not find the vicious overseers in the legend.

The progress of the project is fast.The farther you go to the west, the more you can feel the grandeur of the Gentiles' plan. On both sides of the main road that is enough for five horse-drawn carriages to gallop in parallel, the wide foundations are deep and stable enough to bury a person standing up. The mortar was being mixed, and the square bricks piled up like a mountain, some of the foundations had already built low walls with a height of half a person, and the walls were getting higher and higher, and the brick columns had grown from scratch, standing like a forest, When he walked, it was like walking through a temple, but there were no symbols or decorative patterns here, only groups of busy craftsmen.Judging by their skilled appearance, it is already difficult to distinguish whether they are foreigners, locals or outsiders if they just pass by in a hurry, although the number of locals and outsiders in this area is still very small.After all, there is only so much time for the Gentiles to let go and transform this land according to their own wishes.

Then Anzalu finally walked out of the city.

Beyond the boundaries of the city walls that have disappeared, the vast land unfolds before his eyes, which makes one feel the insignificance of the individual.What he saw was not the wilderness, the wilderness could not give him such sensibility, what he saw was a field.In the past, this was also a field, the difference is that it used to be like a sand table where children could not draw, it was the limited vitality that ignorant human beings tried their best to fight for nature, now a pair of giant hands wiped away the traces of the past struggle, in this field On the blurred field at the end, all the ups and downs of the terrain disappeared, as did the weeds, shrubs, and trees. Manpower cooperated with the steel giant to comb the huge picture scroll repeatedly, and the iron plow shared the brown soil underground. The ground was dug out, the stones were pried up, dug out, and sieved away, and the dry and hard mud was smashed to pieces. The land seemed to have become a large piece of loose pastry. The straight ridges were its delicate texture, and those The deep, deep ditch is quietly waiting to be filled with cool honey.

The greatness of human power can go so far!

Anzalu stopped in place for a moment, then looked back at the place he had just walked before continuing to move forward.Under the nearest big thatched shed, he showed the foreigner waiting there the handwritten letter of the person in charge of the transaction, and then got the news he wanted. After drinking a few large glasses of light salt water and filling the water bag, he followed the instructions Go in the direction of the Buber River.

Rich emotions swelled in his veins, and his anticipation was as hot as this sunshine.After a certain age, Ansalu hadn't had such positive emotions in a long time.

The upheaval in Mahidol began after someone came.At least when the person in charge of the transaction still represented the name "Gentile", no one could have foreseen today's earth-shaking. Although Gentiles always have unexpected actions, most of them are skills and their way of doing things. Surprised, things develop in a way that people can still understand, and then the wild horse runs wild overnight and everything gets out of control.Today's "Gentiles" have not only changed their shells, but also their souls, revealing to the world their ferocious nature beneath their benevolent appearance.It is unbelievable that a man who is suspected of being a bereaved family is actually the leader of the Gentiles. Before he came, he was unknown. The first thing he did after he came was to "trample the law and ignore justice" and "frenziedly" put Ma The rulers and administrators of Xicheng were stuffed into prison cells like livestock (these decent people messed up the city hall); after that, they commanded less than 200 people to completely break an army that had once had a great reputation. Spells and tactics did not work in front of him. He killed more than 1000 people in one evening, just like a tyrant; but now, he has razed the city that once had a good appearance, and then "wasted people and money" on its ruins, building large-scale construction— —

If he is not a destructive hand stretched out by inhuman will, he is a child of destiny.

Ansa Road follows a straight canal.The scene of the open fields was monotonous, for the Gentiles had cleared so much land without planting anything on it, and it was too late for anyone to sow at this time of year.The Gentiles were methodical, and indeed they did not have to worry too much. In the face of their rumbling steel monsters and terrifying wealth, at least drought, the most fatal problem of farming, could be dealt with.He stepped down the steps on the shore and walked at the bottom of the ditch. The ground under his feet was flat and hard, without a seam. What kind of project.The channel cut out by the slopes on both sides is wide enough to accommodate horse-drawn carriages. It is almost a man-made river. Of course, it is not very long, but think of the time when the Gentiles completed it, and at the same time, the city behind Construction is progressing at a rapid pace——

The power displayed by the foreigners in this way is more frightening than any forbidden spell. However, the world outside the city of Mahi is still struggling with its own short-sightedness and prejudice. I don’t know when it will be able to face these heretical invaders...An Salu thought happily as he continued on until he saw the crowd at the end of the canal.

Someone saw him too.Those people called Ansalu up and asked him about his identity and purpose of coming. Ansalu turned his eyes while answering. Without any effort, he almost immediately found what he wanted to see.

Firstly, the man was tall, secondly, the eye-catching black hair, thirdly, Ansalu had neither seen nor imagined that a human being could grow into this appearance.From a man's point of view, the other party's body is not particularly thick, and his face is too young and handsome, lacking the majesty of the years, but after being critical of a certain mentality, Anzalu's instinct of life and death whispered to him: People are dangerous.

Extremely dangerous.

The new leader of the Gentiles was talking with someone. When Ansalu's gaze fell on the side of his face, the other party didn't notice it, and even his eyelashes did not tremble. But in such hot weather, Ansalu's neck His hairs stood up silently.

He found me.

The nobles said, if I can kill this guy, give me a title.

Ansalu squeezed through the crowd with a smile, the new leader turned his head to look at him, ended the conversation, and Ansalu came to him.

"Good day, Your Excellency." Ansalu said, he raised his hand, with a silver light on his cuff, "It's the first time we meet, I'm here, I have something to explain to you—"

He flicked his wrist, and with the flick of his fingers, daggers, blades, blow darts, poison needles, and stone powder fell to the ground. Amidst the doubts of others, the young new leader glanced at the ground expressionlessly.

"—There is a huge bounty on your life," said Ansalu.

He was expecting the other party's response. He saw the young Destiny Child opposite raised a hand, pressed it down, and turned his head away.

A burst of cheers erupted in front of him, and even Anzalu couldn't help being distracted. He saw people crowded around the canal, leaning on the wall to look around, and heard the sound of splashing water coming from far and near, white The water waves surged, rushing, whizzing past, cool water vapor rushed towards the face, and the green water line rose little by little against the bank of the canal. He watched this scene for a while, and then he heard the person on the opposite side ask:

"and then?"