Take Taobao with you to another world

Drought spreads across the land.

It has been more than two months since the rain disaster. God seems to want to take back the wrong rainwater with interest. The severe drought has hit the entire kingdom. In this season when everything should grow, large areas of the fields are exposed to dry white soil, and the wheat seedlings are sunburned. The rustling dry grass has been crushed and turned into powder, many small streams have stopped flowing, the yellow plants are covered with floating soil, and the mountains are full of fallen leaves. The king's envoy walked along the road, and what he saw I heard that it is not in the world, the cities and lands are all stretched out on bare land, with few people, and the plain of the Buber River, which is famous for its abundance, presents a sad and desolate scene.

Although mages and prophets have used their talent and reputation to guarantee that there will be heavy rain within half a month, and the shadow of heavy clouds can be seen in the sky from time to time, but they always come and go slowly, leaking a few drops of rain in people's anxious longing, often Even the ground is steaming without getting wet, only the cool wind blows the wilderness.Only the vicinity of the royal city and some wealthy territories can keep some irrigated land, and the situation is better, but the rain disaster in the past not only delayed the farming season, those low-lying lands soaked by rain for a long time, and then scorched by the scorching sun, the soil Covered with a layer of white clothes like mildew, the weak wheat seedlings are struggling in the weeds everywhere, and no one can expect their harvest.

People died constantly, and the contradictions among the princes became more and more acute. While suffering from drought and hunger, people cursed the lord and the church who raised taxes at such a time, and cursed the foreigners who made the lord so crazy. Many farmers abandoned Fleeing to the ground, countless families were torn apart in the disaster.Only some lords are trying to control the situation, but with little success; much land.

Even on the Kingdom Avenue, the team of the king's ministers often encounter homeless people who support each other. They are skinny, ragged, carry little or no food, and the soles of their feet are cracked. Go in one direction.

Some will fall on the way, but hope is not extinguished.In their burning eyes, there is a city at the end of the road, where there is neither thirst nor hunger, where all pain is redeemed, a blessed land flowing with gold and honey--even if it is made of It was established by a group of foreign demons, and they are still willing to go forward for a momentary dream.

When the prince saw off the envoy, he sighed, "Gentiles, foreigners!"

The earl tried his best to deal with these invaders but failed miserably. While the news shook the kingdom, the greedy merchants spread the aliens' thirst for population. Greedy, the kingdom is still too late to decide whether to start a war.The earl's expedition did not get everyone's support. Before that, due to the inconvenience of transportation caused by the rain, the nobles were much inferior to the night banquet. The cooks seemed to be unable to cook without the salt and sugar of the foreigners. As for In addition, an openable umbrella can be sold at a high price of more than [-] times in the capital, but it is still in short supply, and women complain more. When it is most difficult, some noble women who are a little bit poorer even have to wear it. Mended socks, because Gentiles' cheap stockings are completely out of stock... Even mages favor their synthetic crystals.

Even if it is a thousand steps back, people are willing to go back to the simple life in the past. After the seriously ill king was rescued and recovered by doctors using Gentile medicine, those who cherish their lives began to weigh the price of losing this trading partner. .

Besides, it's the dry season!In the scorched land, there are still some lords' manors that are full of vitality amidst the withering eyes. This is not a miracle, nor is it because the talented people they raise are so generous with mana. The waterwheel came in handy.The low price of fine iron farm tools also made the lords willing to rent them out to farmers, so as to get some meager income to make up for the unavoidable expenses of digging ditches. Although there were occasional shameful incidents such as farm tools being stolen and serfs absconding, the quickly established The water network ensures the most basic harvest of the estate.Seeing that the waterwheels rotate day and night, bringing the river water from the river to the ridge and injecting it into the newly opened canal, gurgling and moistening the fields, some relatively large villages and towns are eager for those merchants who can trade with foreigners. Still connected with the Gentiles, and thus obtained some kind of permission, they could even promise credit for waterwheels and agricultural implements on behalf of the Gentiles, and the price was only a contract.

The church in Floch had brought such a businessman to court in the name of apostasy, but before the trial had even begun, enraged peasants stormed the town in droves to free him from prison.Such a bold rebellion not only shocked the entire river valley, but the church also suffered some losses in the chaos. Later, the bishop and the abbot asked the lord to ban all trade with foreigners in the territory. The weak nobleman was in a dilemma and had to Present the matter to the king who is recovering from a serious illness.

Faced with such a situation, the agenda of redeeming the Earl finally could not be delayed any longer.

After the earl's family begged hard and the king lost his temper several times, the ministers finally elected a man with firm faith and prudence. rescued from the hands of these savages.The king appreciated his determination very much. In order to ensure the safety of his earl and other more unspoken purposes, the mages and knights who accompanied him were all powerful men with honorable titles.

Surrounded by such a group of powerful companions, although there are some unspeakable experiences that only the Viscount himself understands, the journey along the way is indeed very smooth. It's just that their hard supplies along the road are often not sufficient. After all, the disaster is so serious that the lords can still maintain some dignity. It is difficult for villages and towns to provide any decent hospitality, not to mention foreigners. The people of the state made the situation worse—for example, the village they passed not long ago was completely empty, and even the agricultural officials had disappeared without a trace, which made the mages who were not involved in common affairs sigh a lot.

They walked all the way in this way, and with more and more refugees, they entered the territory occupied by foreigners.

The first thing I saw was the bloody road sign.

The red flag, hotter than blood, stands high in the wilderness, guiding people to gather towards it. Under the straight flagpole are simple straw sheds supported by wooden beams. The ragged refugees are like ants rushing to honey water in those sheds. Gathering below, passing the shadows of the buildings, you can see some people with red cloth strips on their arms guarding the unextinguished pots and stoves, handing the wheat porridge in the wooden bowls to those who are exhausted and come here with their last breath fugitives.The emissary's team saw the tall haystacks behind the hut and the covered well. They also saw the hungry people who had devoured the food regenerate at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if what they drank was the water of life—because those people The almost melted porridge is filled with salt and sugar. In this age, this is the water of life.

And this kind of nourishment does not require any price, no matter refugees or travelers, as long as they come here, they don't even need words. Helped them under the shade of the grass shed, handed them a large bowl, not only full to the point of overflowing, but also refillable until they filled their empty bellies with water porridge.When these flattered fugitives were resting on the bench contentedly, they could see straw sandals and leather water bags hanging on the pillars of the wooden frame as soon as they looked up.

Whether they set off right away or rested until the next morning, they were able to remove these presents, put on new shoes, fill their waterskins, grab a walking stick from a pile of firewood, and happily begin their journey. a journey.Because there is more than one place to subsidize them in this way-after that, the messenger's team encountered the second, third, and more supply points.

In the barren land, these man-made oases guide people where to go.

When the emissary team passed the second feeding ground, some brave junior knights got off their horses and tasted the water. After a night of verification, the food did not seem to have any drugs added to confuse the mind. As for the added sugar and salt, its quality was as pure as As the Gentiles have always sold to the outside world.Almost everyone was appalled at the extravagance of Gentiles.Although outside of this, as far as the eye can see, the farmhouses are ruined, the farmland is deserted, and it looks even more decadent than other places, but all along, the Gentiles have been more focused on running the city, and even recruiting refugees is to rebuild the land of Mahi. Famous generals surrounded them in the city, but seeing that their influence has extended to such a distance through these supply points, but abandoned so much land, some people in the team couldn't help scolding them for their greed and arrogance—— If they are so rich, if they are willing to bow their heads a little, the kingdom may not refuse to lease them a coastal city. However, since they set foot on the land of the kingdom, these thieves have never tried to go to see the country's rightful master. I thought that these heretics were consciously crude and dared not face offense, but who would have thought that they had evil intentions hidden in them, and they used the appearance of obedience and incompetence to cover up their aggression and atrocities!Seeing that the foreigners used shameless means to buy people's hearts, the nearby lords did not dare to punish them, and even the bandits did not come to carry out justice—so much seasoning and water were used, and the food might still come from the cellars of the lords It was dug out!

Timid and incompetent!It's really a bad world, and the way of heaven is not clear!

It was reasonable for the nobleman to be filled with righteous indignation, but other people in the team mildly agreed and cut off the next topic tactfully.

The aggression is outrageous and intolerable, and it will greatly damage the interests and dignity of the king. However, the kingdom is in a difficult situation at this time, and it is very unwise to speak lightly of the war-the foreigners really chose an appropriate time to launch an attack.

It is okay to say that the drought was brought by the Gentiles, but the best time to incite the poor people to take the initiative to expel this "culprit" has been missed. Although the church has taken the initiative to promise that it will do its best to encourage people to fight against heresy , but this battle of faith also needs time to brew. At the same time, unless there are strong means, the dirty ideas of the Gentiles will still spread with their commodities.If the former lord of Maxi City had the foresight, he might have been able to do something during the flood. However, he has already fallen shamelessly and become a puppet of the Gentiles. And the cheap goods that were transported everywhere, the relationship between the Gentiles and the short-sighted commoners was perhaps closer than that of the ordinary lords.Although this fact is so embarrassing that no one admits it, it has been proved by what we have seen along the way that the trading tentacles of the Gentiles have unknowingly extended into the blood of the kingdom, importing poisonous supplies to the weak kingdom.

The Gentiles have invaded the country with their wealth before displaying their destructive weapons.

What kind of a group of demons is this!

Everyone in the emissary team felt that the responsibility was heavy and the mission was arduous. Faced with such a threat, the fate of the earl himself was already linked with the kingdom, so they decided not to hesitate any longer. In the sound, the team accelerated their marching speed.The foreigners seem to be very confident in their own force. Except for the supply points under the blood flag, the convoy has never encountered a checkpoint since entering the country, and they have passed through without hindrance. Then, they saw what they wanted to see——

In the twilight of the morning, behind the undulating earth, in the depths of the dust, hovered a shadow deeper than the cloud.

Like giant beasts entrenched by the river, black monsters surrounded it, squirming.

The city of Mahi, a city stolen by the Gentiles, destroyed by the Gentiles, and rebuilt by the Gentiles!

The team stopped on the hillside, the Viscount got off the carriage, and even the reserved mage came to them with his disciple's hand in his hand. Everyone looked at the other side together and witnessed this monster with their own eyes.

What is heard is not as good as what is seen, rumors are always exaggerated and distorted, but in this place today, they discovered that the real scene is even more terrifying than the rumors.With the help of the far-sighted technique, without the cover of the city wall, everyone can see groups of thick buildings that are about to be completed at a glance. The line of sight extends along those wide roads like a checkerboard. Countless similar solid skeletons stand in forests. The chariots and horses are like ants... The magnificence of this city under construction is shocking, especially everyone here knows how long it has been since the fall of Marcy City, but look at this city, look at the large flat land outside the city , with those criss-cross ditches—

How frightening!

Everyone stood on the slope for a long time before getting on their horses and carriages in silence.

The depressing convoy continued to move forward. Behind them, another group of deserters climbed up the hillside. Without magic, they also saw the blurry huge city in the distance, and cheers of joy resounded through the sky.

The condition of the road gradually improved, the hooves of the mounts became more regular, and the spring-loaded carriage became more and more stable, but after a while, this stability and regularity were disturbed, and unnatural vibrations came from the ground, and the head-on The coming wind was filled with the smell of sulfur smoke, and that voice, which was deeper than the roar of wild beasts, was even more irrational, like a rumbling tremor from the ground——

The emissary's convoy finally bypassed the hills, and the steel giants came oncoming!

Even though the probing knights had reported to everyone earlier, many people still shouted at this moment, the frightened mounts raised their hooves and neighed, the formation of the team suddenly became chaotic, and the accompanying sword servants panickedly comforted these people who had not seen blood fire before. The steed looked at the huge monster not far ahead from the corner of his eyes in awe, while the knight on the saddle held his weapon tightly, and looked at the monster silently with the adults who poked their heads out of the carriage and showed their faces— ——Invincible in battle, powerful in turning the ground, endless day and night, breathing fire and smoke, but obedient like sheep in the hands of foreigners—what everyone is trying to prove is now in front of them.

When they looked at the cities of the Gentiles, they had already seen their images through the convex mirrors in the sky, but this still did not lessen the suffocation of actually facing them.This creature has neither thorns nor sharp teeth, nor hideous tentacles. Its body is flat, and its movements are slow, but it is still terrifying, first of all, its power - such a monster It looks extremely heavy in itself, but what is heavier than it is the huge wheel that is surrounded by the monster's thick metal arm rings. There are many regular protrusions on the surface that are rusted by muddy water erosion. When it stops, Like a boulder born on the ground, when this steel monster steadily pushes forward this metal sculpture that maybe only a mythical creature can lift, even the earth will bow to it - and such a creation is really man-made , This is the greatest horror.

Even if you don't look for where the core of power of these monsters comes from, and don't think about the amazing skills required to create such a monster, just look at the steel that makes up its bones and flesh, how many iron mines are needed for the kingdom, and how long is it? Time to refine?

The envoys didn't come back to their senses until people came out from the side of the road and guided the forced retreating convoy around this section of the road.This is their first direct contact with Gentiles who claim to be road builders and are building a road from the city to other places. This is a difficult and humble occupation, but they dare to ask them to show proof A token of identity—these people don’t look like coolies at all, and it’s impossible for coolies to wear leather shoes, let alone such delicate fabrics, not to mention that they walk in an orderly manner, have strong limbs, and have rosy faces. When the convoy rattled past, they leaned on the fine iron tools in their hands and looked at the knights on horseback and the golden chariots and horses with curtains. Behind them, giant alchemy beasts rumbled forward.

It's a downer.

This makes people feel annoyed by being underestimated, but also has an indescribable peace of mind.They have penetrated so deep into the territory of the Gentiles, and if these heretics remain unresponsive, people will have to suspect that they are planning some kind of conspiracy. In contrast, such inferior means are not enough to shake the confidence of the ministers. will.In fact, compared with their wealth and skills, the Gentiles have not shown much ingenuity in the rumors. Although the nobles and priests keep saying that they have planned for a long time and steal the city step by step, they also say these things The heretic was stupid and tyrannical, and killed himself--before the earl was beaten to death.

When your strength is strong enough, you don't necessarily need to consider strategy when attacking, but once you need to stop, it is still hard enough like a stone brick placed, but water can definitely seep in...as long as you are still human.

Even if Gentiles are heretics, they are still human.

The envoys quietly and naturally changed their plan of first denouncing, then intimidating, and finally putting forward conditions, and turned to planning to use some softer methods to achieve their goals.Although the relationship between the envoys is not too close, most of them have made some sacrifices in the face of such a powerful enemy, even if the leader of the Gentiles they are about to face may indeed be a heretic among heretics, a survivor, They are also willing to suffer temporarily for the sake of the kingdom and the king—

If they didn't have such a noble spirit, why would these nobles have to trek so hard to come to such a dangerous place?

So the envoy's convoy slowly and steadily and gracefully walked on the flat and solid gravel road, passed through the wild forest, passed through the wilderness opened up by giant alchemy beasts, and passed through a large area of ​​land and canal networks that were as regular as cut by a knife. In front of the brand-new Maxi City, all the emotions caused by the strange experiences along the way were covered under the proper aristocratic etiquette. The knight who submitted the document raised his chin slightly, and when he waited for the reply from the receptionist who should be the leader of the city guard, the other party smiled. one time.

"Welcome to Mahi City, a very friendly city. You have come just in time...not too well." The foreigner with rough hands slammed a red stamp on the paperwork, and then Handing it back to the knight commander with both hands, "This is a very important day. Today, we are going to try some guilty people for the first time, but very formally."

The commoner man looked at the heavily armed knights opposite, "including the nobles who started the war and caused the massacre."

The uncertain wind blows through the streets and construction sites, blows through the waves of people, and transmits their roar to every corner of the city.

"kill him!"

"kill him!"

"kill him!"

The gunshots stopped, the gunpowder smoke from the hanging muzzle cleared, and the embalmers in black walked from the edge of the execution ground to the center, covered the unrecognizable heads and faces with black cloth, and then began to carry the corpses, just like carrying some sacks.Especially the warm blood dripped from the body bag, leaving a rain-like dark mark on the ground. The earth's air was transpiring, and these blood drops would soon dry up, and the ashes returned to dust, and dust returned to dust.

Most lives lead to the same goal, whether they are sick or healthy, ugly or beautiful, rich or powerful.

The end point is the same, but the process is very different.

Fan Tianlan put away the scroll in his hand, turned to the pale count and said, "We can indeed give you some preferential treatment."

He asked, "How do you want to die?"

When the envoys rushed to the execution ground in a state of demeanor, intending to break through the dense crowd and enter the execution ground, several rows of bullets hit them in front of them, and almost at the same time, violent cheers erupted like a volcano——

"he died!"

The people shouted and laughed, they clenched their fists and stamped their feet, many laughed and wept bitterly, they repeated the aristocrats' deserving of their sins and their gratitude to the foreigners, hardly paying any attention to the sudden arrival of dignitaries.The two knights fell to the ground, and the mage's hand holding the staff trembled slightly. In front of the Gentiles who surrounded them step by step, the remaining knights formed a futile line of defense, surrounding their desolate envoys.