Mount and Blade Central Asia

"Castilian, Persian, and Latin." Belén Garces said the names of the three languages ​​at a high volume, while Li Rufeng could only understand the Persian. "I can speak and read all three languages."

"The teacher also taught me a little bit of the Tuscan dialect, but I can only spell it, not speak it." Belén Garces knew that if he didn't demonstrate his worth now, he might not have another chance later. So he continued, "I know a little math and studied surveying, so I did some of the work on those maps."

Tsk, the more Li Rufeng listened, the more obvious the smile on his face became. It was obvious that Mengge had given him a chicken that laid golden eggs. If the old Sultan were still alive, such a person would probably be sent to Samarkand as a slave.

"Where are you from and where are you going?" Li Rufeng winked at Bater, and the young man understood and dragged a stool over to Beren. Now he had the qualifications to sit down and talk.

"My teacher was originally an accompanying scholar of the Castilian Kingdom's delegation, heading to Samarkand to make friends with the new Sultan. We set out from the port of Cadiz (Note 1), took a boat all the way to Corsica, and then set out from Naples, crossing the Greek Strait, where we were attacked by warships of the Knights of Rhodes." Beren Garces introduced their origins and routes to Li Rufeng in a clear and orderly manner.

"You are all Christians, why are they attacking you?" Li Rufeng was actually quite familiar with the Knights of Rhodes. During the Battle of Ankara six years ago, the Khanate's army slaughtered the Knights of Rhodes in Izmir (Note 2), the land territory of the Knights of Rhodes. Except for a few who escaped by boat, the rest were either captured or massacred.

Li Rufeng's slave who is farming is said to be a genuine Rhode Island Knight.

Apart from deducting three dinars from his property, it is still unclear what value he has.

"They said we were collaborating with pagans and were heretics..." Beren Garces said this with a bit of a weak tone. It was obvious that the Rhodes Island knights had sufficient reasons to launch the attack. At that time, they had gifts prepared for the new Sultan on the ship.

"After the attack, we were forced to land at the port of Antalya. Most of us planned to head north to Izmir and return to the kingdom to expose the atrocities of the Knights of Rhodes. Only my teacher, accompanied by a few guards, chose to travel overland to Samarkand," Beren Garces explained. "My teacher wanted to be like Mr. Clavijo, documenting the customs and scenery along the way, hoping to gain fame and become a court scholar."

Li Rufeng nodded. This was probably the reason why seven or eight warriors were killed or injured during a robbery of a merchant caravan by Mengge and his men.

It took him some time to realize that the Kingdom of Castile was later Spain, and that these Spaniards were very close to the Genoese merchants.

In this era, Genoa and Venice represented the highest productivity of this land. The arrow wound in Shemiller's abdomen was caused by a powerful crossbow. The diamond-shaped arrowhead directly penetrated the fragile leather armor, causing a deep wound.

But the cut was neat, showing that the crossbow arrow itself was of high quality. The surface of the arrowhead was smooth, but it was dipped in contaminants, and the means were a bit despicable.

"I will provide you with security, an independent tent, two meals a day, meat once every two days, and a bowl of dairy products." When Li Rufeng said this, Beren Garces' eyes brightened with each condition he mentioned.

In this era, the treatment of having meat and a bowl of dairy products every two days was already better than that of the Spanish petty bourgeoisie, and even those petty nobles who were not doing well might be jealous.

But the tribe that Li Rufeng belongs to is the conqueror of this land. They are the only real people in this vast land. The rest are just free slaves and livestock walking on two legs.

There is no shortage of livestock and food in the tribe. Even the lower-level herdsmen can ensure that they have enough to eat every day, and occasionally slaughter a sheep to satisfy their hunger.

But other than that, they lack almost everything.

Salt, spices, metal, wood, books, paper, Li Rufeng could write this table to be three or four meters long, and by the way, he could also write a seven or eight meter long paper to complain about Timur's crude art of rule. He turned this land that once gave birth to a brilliant commercial culture into the uninhabited land it is today.

Even if Master Li wanted to drink some fermented grape juice, he had to take a chance and see if there would be a caravan passing by in the next few months.

"From now on, you will be responsible for teaching me Latin and Tuscan. When I don't have time to study, you will be responsible for teaching the children in the tribe math and geometry." Li Rufeng concluded. "I don't expect them to be able to draw maps in the future, but they should at least be able to understand the maps you draw, know where we are, and know the distance from Samarkand to Constantinople."

"I will do my best, generous master." Belén Garces completely gave up his reserve under the high treatment, and even a smile appeared on his face.

When he followed his teacher, a poor nobleman without any fiefdom, he could only sleep six hours a day, and his food was either leftovers or coarse bread. Whether he could eat meat depended entirely on Fernando's mood.

Belen Garces was nominally Fernando's student, but in reality he also served as a servant, scribe, and housekeeper. Apart from sounding a little different, the work he did was actually similar to that of a slave.

"You don't have to call me master. Our relationship is one of employment. Once you've worked for me for five years, I'll give you your freedom and allow you to return home." Knowing the value of this young slave, Li Rufeng showed considerable tolerance. "If you don't want to leave at that point, we can sign an employment contract."

This time, Beren Garces' smile became more sincere. No matter how happy he appeared, as long as he was not stupid, he would naturally understand the difference in status between a slave and an apprentice.

Except for the Mamluks, I'm afraid no one is willing to live as a slave for the rest of their lives.

After checking the condition of the wounded, Li Rufeng returned to his tent and began to deal with the spoils brought by Mengge.

Barley seeds need to be soaked in clean water in advance, then placed in a moist cloth bag and placed in a ventilated place and wait for the seeds to turn white before sowing. This is all the knowledge Li Rufeng knows about barley planting.

He had no idea how deep the seeds needed to be buried, what the irrigation requirements were, or what the temperature requirements were.

Li Rufeng only knew that the climate here was more suitable for farming than the four distinct seasons in northern China. The land was fertile, the temperature in winter was around ten degrees Celsius above zero, and the last time it snowed was seven years ago.

Fortunately, he could let his slaves open up a few more test plots and try things out slowly, but he didn't know whether he could see the results before the war started.

But then again, it wasn't Li Rufeng who did the hard work, so the cost of trial and error was almost zero for him, it was just a waste of seeds.

If there is enough time, he would also like to restore cotton cultivation. The old shaman said that before they came, Aleppo was the best cotton producing area in the entire Muslim world, and cotton trade was the main reason why Aleppo could develop into a commercial center.

Unfortunately, those who knew how to grow cotton and weave cloth either died in the war or were taken back to Samarkand.

This land is now withered

He couldn't even find a few reliable farmers, it was outrageous!

Life in the tribe was so monotonous that Li Rufeng felt that he had just begun to get into the state when the sunlight began to turn yellow. The herdsmen who were grazing nearby had already ridden back on their horses. Because the rotational grazing area was not far from the tribe, being able to go home every day was undoubtedly a new experience for these herdsmen.

Of course, this also led to a baby boom in the tribe over the past year, and the nomadic people had a lack of entertainment activities after sunset, which made Li Rufeng very angry.

With his status, he could naturally choose any girl in the tribe, but the tribe was too small and Li Rufeng's status was too special, so it was difficult to make a move. On the contrary, he had made several dirty moves when he followed the old shaman to visit other tribes. When he talked about his sad moments, it was so sad that anyone who heard or saw them cried.

Li Rufeng still remembered that when he first helped Mengge manage the looted wealth, he placed an "order" for a female slave, preferably a noble, young, beautiful, and educated one.

In the end, Mengge told him that he was dreaming, because that thing was a rare and sought-after commodity no matter where it was, and he couldn't afford it.

A few months later, Mengge sent him a male slave, repaying his kindness with hatred...

ps: Note 1 Spanish Port

Note 2 The Knights of Rhodes are the famous Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem, also known as the Knights Hospitaller. They captured Smyrna (Izmir) in 1351. After being conquered by Timur, the Knights did not recapture the city.

Note 3 Ottoman port

Note 333: Rogoz Clavijo, a court minister, envoy, traveler, and writer of the Kingdom of Styria, was a diplomatic envoy to the Timurid Empire in the early 15th century and went to Samarkand to pay homage to Timur. He wrote the book "Clavijo's Mission to the East", which is one of the important documents I consulted.

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The author's words:

ps: Castilian is later Spanish, and Tuscan dialect is later Italian

ps: Because the Timurid Khanate lasted for too short a time in history, it is difficult to find much information.

Chapter 10: Praise to Eternal Heaven

Life in the tribe is very monotonous, so monotonous that it forces time travelers like Li Rufeng to regard learning new knowledge as a form of entertainment, thus bursting out with unprecedented enthusiasm for learning.

Li Rufeng was recalling the Tuscan dialect he had learned in the past few days. Because Belém was also only half-familiar with the language, and both parties had to use Persian for translation, it was very difficult to learn.

The difficulties involved are easy to imagine. Belén Garces's native language is Castilian, while Li Rufeng's native language is Chinese. Both parties now use Persian to communicate with each other and learn another language.

Fortunately, both Li Rufeng and Belen are considered full-time workers in this era, and they have enough personal time to waste on this inefficient learning.

The reason why Li Rufeng chose to learn the Tuscan dialect first was simply because the late Mr. Fernando Fernandez carried with him a large number of books recorded in this language.

Li Rufeng missed the joy of reading so much. In this era, it was definitely the most luxurious and noble form of entertainment. The spiritual satisfaction it brought was comparable to the satisfaction brought by penetrating a virgin college student in a modern American university.

In the past two years in the tribe, especially after the old shaman died and during the time he was in charge, Li Rufeng's greatest wealth accumulated was eleven books in different languages ​​and hundreds of sheets of paper of different materials and colors that could be used for writing.

In this era, books are still considered valuable possessions, such as the Persian-written "Ode to the Oasis" left to him by the old shaman.

It was an exquisite sheepskin manuscript with a golden wood cover and a thin layer of lambskin on the surface, which felt incomparable.

There are copper corners on both sides of the book cover, and the cotton thread ends used to sew the book are carefully hidden under the lambskin wrapping the book cover. The whole book looks more like a work of art than a book.

In terms of weight, it is closer to a weapon, and the sturdy copper corners can easily break bones.

In comparison, another relic from the old shaman, "Turkic - Rose Garden" translated into Chagatai language, is much simpler. The cover is made of sheepskin, but it is painted with colorful patterns, and the inside is a paper book with a slightly yellowed color.

Li Rufeng had no intention of exploring its intrinsic literary value. Given his understanding of the two languages, he read the book mainly for fun. He had no interest in the grammatical twists and spiritual core that required extremely high literary literacy.

But through the materials of the two books, Li Rufeng could easily discover the technological advances contained in them, but they were ultimately handwritten copies.

The books that Fernando brought with him were from Tuscany.

They are all printed.

The sizes of books are almost the same, and it is obvious that there are already underlying industry rules in the publishing industry to regulate book sizes.

The book cover still uses leather to protect the book, and the four corners are obviously thickened, showing that books are still valuable items that need to be protected.

The paper used to carry the text itself is of much better quality than the paper in "Turkic-Rose Garden". It is thinner and has fewer impurities. Moreover, the text is printed with ink, so the handwriting is clear, with few missing corners and omissions.

The book with the most signs of wear and tear was translated as "The Decameron", a name that made Li Rufeng a little excited.

It wasn't because he knew the book well, but because it was one of the few things that made him feel familiar in this strange land.

In his previous life, Li Rufeng was not bored enough to explore his own spiritual world, but this book always suddenly appears in front of you in various corners.

As the sunlight cast shadows through the window again, indicating that the reading time was over, Li Rufeng rubbed his eyes, walked out of the tent and watched Bater teaching Beren Garces how to use dried dung from cows, horses and sheep to keep the fire burning.

There was obvious rejection on Belén Garces' face. Some of the nomadic traditions took time to adapt to, but the reason they existed to this day was because most of them were reasonable.

Wuerhun smiled and approached Li Rufeng after he saw him leave his tent. He asked in a flattering manner, "What Mengge and the others said last time, that the Master wanted to recruit soldiers, is that true?"

Because of the old shaman, this tribe has received many hidden benefits over the years, such as conscription. They have only provided 22 men to Wanhu in the past ten years.

Compared to the total population of the tribe and the wars launched by the Khanate, only two men went to fight each year, which was a symbolic conscription.

Now that the old shaman is dead, the situation in the Khanate is unstable. Although the new shaman is capable, he can never compare to the old shaman in terms of reputation and connections.

This time, Dosit Wanhu is going to raise an army to attack the rebels of the Black Sheep Dynasty, and the tribe might suffer some losses.

Because Li Rufeng intended to strengthen the tribal armed forces, there were more than one hundred men in the tribe who could be considered qualified soldiers, twenty-five of whom could be considered full-time professional soldiers. They did not need to go out to graze, but practiced archery and riding skills every day, as well as how to quickly organize formations while riding.

In terms of weapons, the tribe stored eighty iron-clad shields, fifty pieces of leather armor, thirty strong bows, and twenty-two pieces of chain mail. The military equipment level of the entire tribe was far from as weak as Mongke and his men saw.

If you calculate it strictly, the military force controlled by Li Rufeng is barely enough to form a Khanate's century-man team. Although it is not as good as the elite century-man team led by Mongke, it is definitely comparable to those nomadic soldiers who fight in wartime and graze in rest time.

All of these assets were purchased by Li Rufeng from passing caravans. He would rather pay a higher price to buy equipment from merchants than accept the centurions' behavior of using weapons and equipment as medical expenses, just to show weakness to the enemy.

Although those centurions were not actually enemies, but the only allies in this land, the five thousand years of civilization's long history told Li Rufeng that the doctrine of the mean is useful everywhere.

Otherwise, the drinking party a few days ago would not have forced him to express his position. Mengge would most likely count Li Rufeng's tribe as his own combat force, or as the enemy's.

Like Sultan Timur himself, these Turkified Mongols were too crude in their art of ruling. Perhaps their years of undefeated experience had shaped their character. In short, if they could go straight to the point, they would never want to take a detour.

For example, when Mengge came to confront him, he must have thought that if they agreed, it would be a win, but if not, he would be killed.

As for this rebellion against Doshite, the Mongol officers who gathered together must have thought that they could gather enough manpower and attack directly when the rebellion started, and kill Doshite directly in the army formation.

As for what would happen afterwards, whether to defect to the Ottomans, the Mamluks, or to suppress the Black Sheep Rebellion and join Milan Shah's army, they probably hadn't thought that far yet.

When Li Rufeng came to this world, his most profound impression of Mengge and others was their aura of looking down on the world.

Their definition of border areas was very vague. As long as the horses' hooves could reach, it was all the territory of the Khanate. There was no enemy they could not defeat and no city they could not conquer.

With this group of brave soldiers and generals, Timur defeated almost all enemies in the known world.

In the north, the Ottomans, with the strength of a single country, attacked the entire Christian world, and the day when Constantinople would collapse was just around the corner. However, it was this group of people who were defeated in front of Timur's army. Even Sultan Bayezid himself was captured alive and died in humiliation.

Perhaps this was the reason why Timur launched an expedition against the Ming Dynasty, which was the only opponent they had not yet fought.

Li Rufeng tried to comfort Wuerhun. This man, who looked like he couldn't straighten his back, was used to this kind of peaceful life. He knew what he was worried about. Li Rufeng knew what he was worried about. "It's okay. I'm here. No matter who wins in the end, they'll need us."

Li Rufeng was confident that with the old shaman's introduction, he got to know most of the tribal leaders and spread his reputation for medical skills through them.

.

This is his amulet.

In fact, Li Rufeng was secretly hoping that a conflict would really happen.

Two years of medical practice have made Li Rufeng hard-hearted. Faced with scenes of blood and flesh flying everywhere and the death of his fellow men, he would not even blink.

He is a man with a cheat code for the Mount & Blade system. He has been working hard in the fields of intelligence and charisma in the past two years, not because he is a pacifist, but because he has no chance to train other attributes and skills.

The full name of that game is Mount & Blade, a name that is so simple and straightforward, but it completely covers the core of the entire game.

Blacksmithing, socializing, practicing medicine, and even commanding are actually additional projects. The real core lies in the two verbs of riding and killing.

If you want to improve the three attributes of vitality, control, and endurance, as well as the nine skills of your subordinates, the fastest way is to kill.

It’s a pity that Li Rufeng really has no outstanding skills in the areas of the above three attributes, otherwise he would have done the same as Mengge and led the armed herdsmen in his tribe to rob caravans.

Since farming failed, he now hoped that the winner between Mengge and Duosite would bring him some experience as they boasted, so that he could become successful as soon as possible.

Wuerhun received the guarantee and a relieved expression appeared on his face. He believed what the shaman said 100%. They were all people from heaven and would not lie or deceive people.

He had seen the old shaman summon the wind and rain, making the enemy cavalry slip and fall on the muddy grass. He had also seen how Shaman Rufeng cut open a person's stomach and then sewed it back together like sewing clothes. Not only did the person not die, but he was alive and well a few months later.

In Wuerhun's eyes, there was no difference between these two different miracles. Neither of them was a human magic, so he maintained the same respect for them.

So after Li Rufeng left, Wuerhun knelt on the ground devoutly, bowed his head deeply in front of his footprints, and murmured, "Praise to the Eternal Heaven, may the divine grace of the shaman bless the tribe and its everlasting prosperity!"

The author says:

Author's words: ps: I made a tribe location diagram, but the size does not meet the upload standards. I will modify it tomorrow.

Chapter 11 Have you heard of Changshengtian?

The pace of war came quickly, or rather, these border guarding tribes of the Timurid Khanate had been preparing for war.