Mount and Blade Central Asia

Also, the new leader of the village, Maritan, is a good person. Not only did she not take the responsibility from him, she also taught those former villains a lesson and cut off the thumbs of two of them... Aiman ​​shuddered when he thought about it, and made up his mind never to gossip about others behind their backs again. He only knew that Maritan was not easy to mess with, but he never thought that the other party could be so cruel.

When she looked at someone's thumb, her expression was as calm as if she were peeling a potato.

Thanks to the aftermath of that incident, after receiving the lord's order this time, Maritan mobilized the villagers to enter the city very quickly. No one wanted to offend the new lord, nor did anyone want to go against Maritan.

At this time, the group of villagers in Maritan had already seen the city of Aleppo from afar. The towering city walls made many people stop and sigh. Of course, the villagers' faces were mostly filled with confusion about the future.

Although the lord said that food and accommodation in the city would be provided by the lord's mansion, the money had not been paid yet, so the outcome was still unknown.

The armed Mughal cavalry rode on tall horses, wearing strange masks on their faces, strung their bows and arrows more than ten meters away from them, and shouted loudly.

Shave your head? Take a bath? Why? Not only Aiman ​​felt it was a bit ridiculous, but everyone else felt the same way. Even Maritan frowned.

"Is this Lord Rufeng's order?" Maritan stepped forward, wanting to inquire about the specific order. Instead, the other party shot an arrow two meters in front of Maritan and warned, "No approaching until you've passed quarantine inspection! Dismount!"

Maritan's expression instantly turned a little ugly, but she still obeyed the guard's orders.

"Men in one row, women in another row, and children below the height of the wheels follow the women!" The guards stood far away, bows and arrows in their hands.

Aiman ​​glanced at his family and children, then at Maritan who had already started to take off her armor, and finally stood obediently in the queue, put his weapon aside, and walked through a makeshift tent area.

"Ms. Dalhe! Another group of people is coming!" the guard shouted to a woman, and then handed the villagers over to her for reception.

Isabella Darhe, a new immigrant, was one of the women who were taken away as trophies by the Mongols after the city of Mardin was captured. Li Rufeng spent a lot of money to get these women back and let them take care of the wounded in the temporary hospital. In the end, one hundred and four women chose to follow Li Rufeng and leave their hometown, and Isabella Darhe was the leader of these women.

Some of the 104 women have already started a new life in Aleppo, and now only 62 are still with Isabella. However, these 62 women have learned a lot of medical knowledge from Li Rufeng in the past few months.

This sudden war is not only a test for Li Rufeng, but also a test for these people.

Aiman ​​had never seen such a beautiful woman. Although she was wearing a mask that covered half of her face, her eyes alone were many times more beautiful than his wife's.

At this moment, Aiman ​​was actually quite glad that the man and the woman were separated, otherwise there would be family conflicts.

It’s a pity that Isabella was not here to flirt. She was followed by two fully armed soldiers and seven or eight men holding razors.

"Everyone, sit down. Those I've called will come get their haircuts," Isabella said as she walked forward, called out to eight men, and handed them small wooden tags. "After your haircuts, take the tags to the showers. You'll get new clothes after the showers! Your old clothes will be destroyed!"

Destroy it? No way! I've only been wearing clothes for four years! This was Aiman's first thought, but then he remembered that they were giving him new clothes...

"If you don't want to destroy them, you can continue to wear your old clothes, but the lord's mansion will not give you new clothes!" As expected, Isabella's second sentence silenced many "troublemakers" who wanted to say something.

New clothes in her arms, with fifty copper coins in her pocket, she didn't want to pay any attention to him and started to go into the city happily.

By the way, this was his first time in Aleppo since the Aleppo Massacre. The Lion Gates were still as majestic, but the lions themselves were not as exquisite as before. Aiman ​​vaguely remembered that there were still many gems on them when he came here last time.

At the time, Aiman ​​had indeed thought about waiting for the dead of night to secretly seize one and take it back. Now it seems someone has done it for him, and it was done very thoroughly...

"Militia, follow me!" Maritan, who also looked brand new, touched her bald head uncomfortably, shouted unhappily, turned around and led the militia towards the military camp.

There is already an atmosphere of war in the city.

The author says:

Author's Note: I have a fever and a dry mouth. I thought it was triple positive, but the test results show it's not... My child also has a fever at night. I might need to go to the hospital. I'm so tired...

Chapter 254: The inheritance of the panacea

Because of the presence of his personal guards, Li Rufeng's grasp of the situation in the city is far beyond what other lords can imagine. Although it is only a relatively vague feedback, it has already distinguished him from ordinary people.

As his reputation grew, he now had forty-two personal guards, plus one follower recognized by the system. These people were his hands, his eyes, and his mouth.

Every order of Li Rufeng will be conveyed as quickly as possible and enter the implementation stage. For example, those orders related to epidemic prevention, although most people cannot understand them, Li Rufeng does not need them to understand, he only needs them to obey.

As a ruler, especially a ruler of this era, Li Rufeng did not require his subjects to understand every one of his orders. It was enough for him to let everyone know that the cost of violating his orders was so high that they could not afford it.

For example, at this time, Li Rufeng sent soldiers to register the merchants who were crowded at the city gate waiting to leave the city. People and property could go, but food and other supplies had to be left behind. Master Li did not rob them openly, but bought them back at the market price.

This kind of small matter may seem simple, but in fact its implementation is a great test of the integrity of the administration. As long as someone dares to try to make money from it, whether it is robbery or profiting from the difference, it will distort the entire system and even further cause conflicts.

But Li Rufeng placed two personal guards here to monitor, so naturally no one dared to take action.

In the past few months, both newly promoted officials and local businessmen have tried to win over the lord's personal guards, but none of them have succeeded. They are upright and loyal to Li Rufeng, and they are fearless and really scary.

This is not an isolated case. Li Rufeng dared to carry out drastic reforms in the city because he relied on the personal soldiers provided by the system to bully others.

The reason why Zhifeng believers have had the formula for a panacea for so many years but have never succeeded.

What Master Ahmed didn't know was that Ali was actually the first person to use the panacea.

As early as when Master Ahmed was conducting an animal experiment, Ali had already taken the panacea instead of himself. That was the beginning of Ali's fall into the corrupt green wind...

"Look at these mortals. They think they're smart, but they don't know that life is both tenacious and fragile." Ali heard the constant encouragement, "Throw that panacea into the well, and we'll achieve unparalleled achievements!"

Ali glanced at the soldiers guarding the well, tightened his cloak, turned and left.

Even if there were no soldiers, he would not be willing to throw the panacea into the well. This was what the Tariq family had always pursued, so how could they let it go so easily?

"Wouldn't it be wonderful to bring the gospel of the panacea to every life in this city? What you receive will far exceed your expectations. A loving Father is never stingy..."

"No, it doesn't," Ali retorted. "The panacea needs to be taken orally or applied topically to be effective. Mixing it in water will only serve as a carrier of the Corrupted Green Wind's power. Finding a corpse on the side of the road will have the same effect."

"But there's no ready-made corpse in this city to throw into the well. You have a ready-made panacea, and it's a small target, so the guards won't be able to detect it in time. Cooperating with me is your best option."

"You can't find the body and the opportunity. That's your incompetence." Ali, though young, was very intelligent. "I believe the great Green Wind has other plans for the panacea."

He has been hiding in the rarely visited ruins in the inner city recently. Although he is also a Mamluk, nothing has happened to him. It is not known whether it is the effect of the Corrupt Green Wind or the effectiveness of Li Rufeng's method.

But this is not a permanent place. The food that Ali packed when he escaped is running out, drinking water is also a problem, and the risk of traveling back and forth between different areas is increasing.

Ali had to admit that Li Rufeng's efficiency was so high that the messenger of the Green Wind could not find a chance to attack for a while, and could only keep harassing him to create opportunities.

But Ali is not stupid, he will not be fooled...

The author says:

Author's words: This is the only chapter for today. My child's fever has not improved, and he is a little allergic to the medicine he took at night. I will be typing this on my phone in the hospital. Please forgive me.

Chapter 255 Plague Strikes

Gloves asked for Huluchirjia's bow and arrow. The other party took a look at the big bow on his back and silently handed over his weapon.

Hulucierjia had seen how Haishar shot arrows, and he had to admit that it was probably a level he would never be able to reach in his lifetime. Just the big bow alone was not something he could open and close freely on horseback, and even if he managed to pull it open, he could not hit the target.

So, he was qualified to take his own bow and arrow, and then let himself stay where he was and watch...

Haishar had no intention of humiliating the Mughals, but he had to let these people know what they were fighting against.

Haishar, who was riding back on the mixed-breed horse, was like a tiger coming down the mountain. He crossed a distance of hundreds of meters in a roar and passed by the enemy's formation in the rear at a distance of less than three meters. In a blink of an eye, a series of arrows were shot out.

He drew his bow left and right, and in three breaths, he shot eight arrows, six of which hit the target in the gap between the armor and the helmet.

The Mughals who were following them exclaimed in surprise when they were less than fifty meters away, but then the exclamations turned into screams, because among the six soldiers who were shot by arrows, only two who were shot in the eyes fell down, and the remaining four continued to move forward with arrows in their bodies, unaware of their injuries.

The panicked Mughals fired another round of arrows from a distance of thirty meters and then rushed away again, giving the other side no chance to counterattack.

"What the hell is that thing!" Hulucierjia widened his eyes and asked the enemies who should have been dead but had no reaction.

"I don't know either, but that's why I don't let you get close." Haishar frowned as he looked at the scattered infantry team that maintained its formation, walked nearly five kilometers under the rain of arrows, and fell into disarray.

Reanimated corpses are relatively common enemies in their line of work.

But this was the first time he had encountered such a large number of people who understood battle formations, could march in formation, and obey orders.

What's more, this is only part of the enemy. Moser and his men have cavalry, but that group of cavalry is still resting in the camp.

They seemed to think that these infantrymen were too slow, so they let them set off first.

"Put on your masks! This is your shaman's order!" Haishar turned around and saw many Mongol cavalrymen had taken off their masks and were breathing heavily. He couldn't help but scold, "These people might have the plague! They're like this because their pain sensation is numb!"

He could only use this lie to cover up the truth. How else could he say that those people were corpses wearing armor?

If enough people start spreading it, it will actually turn into a plague..."

"Decades ago, the followers of the Green Wind created a great plague out of nothing, and the poison has not been cleared up until now." Ahmed stood on the watchtower and watched the group of knights led by Haishar enter the temporary camp, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

He had been worried that Li Rufeng would lose control and let the Mongols in, but fortunately Li Rufeng remained rational.

Soon, Haishar ran to the city wall and shot a note with his bow.

With Brother Mengjiang's voice, they could actually communicate across the moat, but considering that the news this time was not good news, Brother Mengjiang adopted a more elegant approach -

"The enemy is divided into two parts. The infantry and cavalry are separated by about five kilometers. Another hundred or so have disappeared. We have sent people to search for them.

It has been temporarily confirmed that the followers of the Green Wind have a certain degree of immunity to pain, or they are simply dead under the armor, and the casualties caused by bows and arrows are very small.

There is no sign of their need to rest for the time being, so the enemy is still about eight hours away from Aleppo."

It was indeed not good news, but Li Rufeng was also waiting for his secret weapon to deal with this group of uninvited enemies who seemed like a natural disaster.

Two hours later, Ais Beck appeared outside the city wall with a cavalry unit of only twenty people. After signaling to Li Rufeng, he left westward along the Kuvik River.

That was the signal they had agreed on. The Mamluks were still unwilling to enter the city of Aleppo. Their fear of curses outweighed their fear of war and losing their homes. In the end, Ais had to escort his only subjects north and temporarily relocate them to a village.

Li Rufeng gave Ais Baker two choices: he could stay there and wait for the war to end, or he could bring his soldiers back and help Li Rufeng.

He promised that if Ais did not come back and if Li Rufeng was still the master of Aleppo after the war, he would forgive him, but if he was willing to come back, Li Rufeng would give Ais more respect after the war.

Ais Baker finally chose to come back and fight side by side with Li Rufeng.

This is good news. Although there are not many people in Ais, this at least proves that Li Rufeng's sincerity towards others during this period has worked.

Two hours later, Saladin, accompanied by three hundred cavalrymen, hastily appeared on the northeastern hillside. Carrying the flag brought by Li Rufeng's envoy, Saladin ran outside the city wall and nailed it heavily to the ground: "We, the Kurdish warriors, have responded to your call!"

Because Li Rufeng had not yet chosen a pattern for his flag, the flag was just a white flag with vertical stripes hung on a trident-shaped flagpole, and its shape was somewhat similar to the white flag Suled during the Mongol Empire.

This thing was once called Greek Fire...

The author says:

Author's Note: There is no definitive historical statement on whether Greek Fire is actually naphtha. However, considering the applicable area and the fact that the first person to propose this concept was a Syrian, it should be within the range of crude petroleum products.

Update later

I came back from the hospital quite late, so I can't finish writing before midnight, but I will definitely update tonight, with a minimum of 3,000 words. I saw some readers said that the magical war is a bit inconsistent, so I'd like to explain it here.

Because Central Asia has been in constant war and chaos for many years, and in modern times it has been repeatedly colonized by various white people because of its resources, most of the historical materials and literary works have been damaged and lost. There are not many left, and even fewer have been translated. Therefore, it is actually difficult to verify the cause and effect of certain historical events. It is all written in the style of the Spring and Autumn Period... The magical part is added to make it logically self-consistent and to facilitate the advancement of the plot, but I will control the degree of intervention.

Chapter 257: Siege

Ever since Li Rufeng learned the local language and figured out his geographical location, he knew what kind of wealth this land contained. Unfortunately, the era he lived in meant that the true value of this wealth was destined to be out of his reach.

But that doesn't mean Li Rufeng hasn't had his share of ulterior motives. Born in a country considered oil-poor, Li Rufeng grew up believing his country was short of oil. When international oil prices rise, so too do local prices. He pretends not to notice when national oil prices fall...

So, with such a huge fortune right in front of him, it would be a lie for Li Rufeng to say that he wasn't tempted.

How rich are the oil reserves in Syria? There is a large oil lake less than 100 kilometers away from Aleppo. It has always been a restricted area for various tribes because there is almost no grass nearby, and livestock such as cattle and sheep cannot get out once they get stuck in it.

Of course, with animals' sense of smell, they instinctively don't want to get close to that place.

After occupying Aleppo, Li Rufeng has been consciously collecting talents related to the oil field. Although it sounds very high-sounding, in fact, the people who use oil or oil products the longest in Aleppo are stonemasons.

When building houses, they would use a small amount of natural asphalt as an adhesive and waterproof coating to increase the reliability of the buildings, which is reflected in many reconstruction projects in Aleppo.

Naphtha is an excellent combustible material, making the flames much taller than a person in just a short moment.

"Put out the fire." Li Rufeng ordered again.

Two guards poured water at the fire with buckets from a distance, and then a scary thing happened. Not only did the water fail to reduce the fire, but it lifted the light naphtha upwards, causing it to sweep the flames and move in the direction of the water flow.

One of the selected workers immediately screamed and stepped back in fear.

But by this time, the naphtha had almost burned out and the fire was much smaller. Master Li stepped forward and completely extinguished the flames with a shovel of sand: "This kind of fire must be put out with sand! Do you understand?"

When the workers saw the fire was out, they nodded obediently. It was unclear whether they were secretly praising Mr. Li's magical powers or thanking God.

But safety training is like this: it’s better to let them actually do it once than to tell them a thousand times.

Therefore, before dark, the fire in front of Mr. Li was ignited countless times, and every worker was forced to step forward and experience the difference between using water and sand to extinguish the fire.

"Let me make one final point. The work you do is directly managed by the Roman emperor in the Eastern Roman Empire, and everyone involved is a royal craftsman." Li Rufeng emphasized, looking at the still timid workers. "Although I'm not the emperor, I guarantee that your treatment will be the same as that of the royal craftsmen: two khadi dirhams per person per month!"

Currently, ordinary workers in Aleppo can earn one silver coin in about two months. Li Rufeng directly quadrupled the workers' salary.

"If there aren't any accidents in a quarter, everyone will receive an extra one Hadiram safety bonus," Li Rufeng emphasized again. "There's also a production bonus. I'll announce the monthly production requirements in advance based on the city's needs. As long as you meet the target, you'll receive an extra one Hadiram!"

After hearing Li Rufeng's assurance, the eyes of these ordinary workers lit up. No one was afraid anymore. The hardships of life were worth being burned by flames.

"Now, this is your last chance. If anyone wants to quit, don't come tomorrow morning. Everyone who comes will be paid according to my agreed salary," Li Rufeng said. "But if anyone takes my money and then uses it against their will, their only fate will be to move out and live in Jingguanchang."

Most of the people present were from Aleppo. They naturally understood what Li Rufeng meant. There were no living people living in Jingguanchang, and moving did not mean going alone.

But given the trend of money, no one will quit at this time.

In the end, Li Rufeng drove these people away and returned to the city wall again. After all, his secret weapon would not have the chance to be used tonight.

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The author says: