Chapter 390: The Age of Resources (6000 words)

Gassayh and Cardwell are old men. They are over 100 years old, just like two old trees, and have seen all kinds of wind and rain and lightning.

Standing on the city of Mara, in the face of a strengthened temple army, they could all talk and laugh.

However, at this moment, the two men were silent. It's like two laughing trees suddenly died of a stroke.

In the eyes of anyone, a mere thirty men is a small and thin army, a symbolic armed force that cannot be weaker than any weaker.

However, these thirty soldiers stood strong and stood tall in the onslaught of alien mercenaries like a sea of alien mercenaries.

The sea làng slapped again and again, bringing about broken again and again, and the slapping never stopped, as if there was a steady stream of soldiers.

The fourth-class soldier went down to the seventh, and after pulling the trigger of the heavy machine gun, he barely let go.

The ammunition is rapidly losing weight like a cub, and the ammunition that is still idle in front of it has become as precious as life at this moment, and the frequency of shè hands pulling the trigger has increased significantly, and the speed of changing the barrel has slowed down.

They feared that as soon as there was a ceasefire, they would be rushed up by the enemy.

After all, the enemy did not rush up, but it did bring unexpected trouble.

These alien mercenaries are sturdy and insensitive to pain, and often have to hit the vital point before they are completely incapacitated. Sometimes, heavy machine guns obviously broke one of their arms, but instead of rolling on the ground and shouting, the soldiers continued to charge in a daze.

They really don't know, but this kind of fearless spirit really makes it difficult for the recruits to adapt.

Occasionally, one or two aliens approached the position, and they would throw javelins with long handles of steel blades - the steel blades alone doomed them to not retreat easily, otherwise how could they recover this expensive cost - the javelin skills of the aliens were not perfect, and the lethality of this thing to armored soldiers was limited after all, or the casualties caused by the fight of real knives and guns were relatively large.

However, the indigenous platoon was armourless.

When the fourth team of 200 men discovered the secret, the shouting javelins smashed on the stone fortifications one after another, and the machine gunners trembled in fright.

In pursuit of high precision, they often close to 100 meters to throw, and the javelin world record of 104.8 meters on earth seems to be achievable by everyone.

At this time, there were still no casualties among the indigenous soldiers in the fortifications. The power of heavy machine guns and machine guns is so great that even if the alien soldiers take the prostrate and bent movements, it is difficult for them to hold out on the battlefield for 30 seconds, and in such a short time, only a few people can reach a distance of 100 meters.

And at this distance, the power of the automatic rifle is enough to slice open their skulls and stop their movements.

When the sixth team of 200 charged, their small leader opted for the 120-meter throw, which seemed to work better.

After all, there are many people throwing, and even if they don't aim so accurately, the recruits who can still smash are restless.

When the seventh team of 200 came into action, they started throwing from 150 meters.

The alien javelin is well-made, and the glide distance in the air is long and accurate, like a stubby rocket. This is different from the javelin competition on Earth. In events such as the Olympic Games, the organizers have even shifted the center of gravity of the javelin by 4 centimeters in order to limit the flight of the javelin, thus reducing the championship distance of the modern javelin event to less than 100 meters. Such a thing would not be done by a man in war.

Casualties of the indigenous platoon finally appeared.

A soldier was nailed to the thigh, and blood came out of the bloodletting trough like a javelin, gurgling for a few seconds, and then gradually disappearing.

"Automatic rifles, come back, all second-class soldiers, come back." Hong Bi ordered with bare eyes that the riflemen lying on the ground were the most vulnerable.

At the three gates, Gasaya asked slowly: "Mercenaries, how many people have died?" ”

"More than 1200." Sir Cardwell was shocked.

"1200 for a person? Can we afford to pay for it? ”

Sir Cardwell is the oldest knight in Mara City, if he hadn't offended the temple priest back then, he would have been promoted to the Grand Sir, and he had an excellent vision of war, he dissipated the vindictiveness in his eyes, and said indifferently: "In such a defensive station, 1200 people can't be exchanged for one person." ”

"Can't get it?"

"You see the position where they send shè, it can be a little more solid. Their weapons are like crossbows instead of bows, so they can cover the top. Sir Cardwell had thought about the question before: "I heard that there is a lot of steel in Xijiang Water Village, and if you cover it with steel, it will be difficult for even a Fighting Knight to break through ......."

"Like those cavalry under their mountain?"

There is only one squad of soldiers under the mountain, but there are machine guns and armored vehicles, and the firepower is not weaker than that under the mountain. And they are not afraid of approaching, as close as they reach within 50 meters, they can form crossfire, it is simply dead and alive. The alien mercenaries simply left more than 100 people to contain them, constantly circling around the long distance - of course, while bearing a huge casualty rate, slightly reducing the pressure of the attack from above.

Cardwell nodded, the kind of combat that really made it difficult for his experience to work.

No one likes the arrival of a new era, except for the proletarians of the old era.

If it were against a modern army, the battle of Magical Hill would be completely impossible. In the face of superior firepower, it is either to call for help or surrender, and there is no point in sending a life-threatening charge.

But in the cold-weapon army, where morale is everything, more than half of the soldiers were killed, making it difficult for the leader to ride the tiger and have to fight non-stop.

Otherwise, once the attack is stopped, the spirit of this army will be completely destroyed, and it is very likely that it will directly fall apart and split and disband.

But if it is a fluke victory, this kind of tragic victory will give birth to an iron-blooded lion.

Whether or not the simple-minded black and white alien leaders thought of this section, it was certain that they had no way out.

The 8th team of 200 men rushed forward.

The movements of the soldiers were a little hesitant and a little heavy. They bent down, learned to zigzag, hid in craters and waited for the right moment......

The casualties have decreased, but that's not what the Black Boss wants.

He's going to win!

He stood up and said, "I, lead the attack." ”

"I'm attacking Yamashita." The white leader looked at the last 4 incomplete 200 people, and faced the mountain without hesitation.

When the vast black shadow appeared under the scorching sun, Hong Bi, who was red with the barrel of a gun, raised "Milan". The standard anti-tank missile has a total of 4 rounds in reserve. I feel too heavy when I don't use it, and I think it's too little when I use it.

"This time, we must get closer." Hong Bi said this to save ammunition. He didn't want to ask the soldiers how much ammunition they had left, that would only cause psychological fear.

The alien mercenaries crawled up like ants.

The soldiers who came from behind did not mourn anything for the soldiers in front. Only the soldiers who survived were given a share of the money, so it was not bad that few survived. As long as you can win in the end.

That's about what the two leaders thought.

The single-shot machine gun of the "tom tom" never stops. Not to mention that the quality of the American goods is very good, and the continuous firing of shells for more than an hour of continuous combat simply exceeds the design goal, but the 3rd squad leader with sufficient ammunition does not care about this, and the enemy does not care.

Fortunately, the "big viper" has not yet collapsed.

On the hill, the head of Ishimura held a magazine and an old 54 with a distance of 50 meters, and muttered: "They started to rush." ”

"They're dead! Everyone listen to my command......" As soon as Hong Bi's words fell, a shell fell in the crowd, splashing smoke 10 meters high, and the loud noise muffled the explosion of the machine gun.

"Tanks! It's our tank! Hong Bi stood up excitedly and was knocked to the ground by the machine gunner next to him.

Sure enough, it was 6 tanks, and they marched with difficulty on the machine plow road opened by the bulldozer.

They didn't even get into the shelling position, the tanks formed a long line, each separated by hundreds of meters, only the last two tanks stuck together, needless to say, the back one had broken down.

It was the leading 59 that fired the shot, and the first shot must have been aimed for a long time.

The tanks behind barely opened fire, a puff of smoke came up, and the coaxial machine guns on the turret also opened fire "click". But the 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun loses its power at a distance of 600 meters, and the distance is far away, and the gunfire is not heard clearly, purely for the purpose of cheering.

The alien mercenary luàn made a group.

The explosion range of a 100-mm grenade is about 30 meters. This low-density, high-power artillery kill has a lot to do with soldier training and fortified bunkers - neither of which are alien mercenaries.

As a result, the grenades fired by the 59 tank played a far greater casualty than in modern warfare, and basically swept away the standing soldiers.

Occasionally, mercenaries who burst out of the barrage are also subjected to heavy machine gun sweeps several times as before.

When the last team of 200 disappeared into ankle-deep blood as if eel had swum into the mud, the battlefield fell silent.

Both the defenders and the attackers were terrified.

Gazayah reported the last shred of illusion and said, "If we attack now, it will be possible to destroy their heavy cavalry." ”

He was referring to tanks.

Cardwell sighed deeply, looked at the straight knights standing behind him, and said, "I brought 10 Temple Knights, how many are you willing to sacrifice?" ”

“2…… 3 pcs. If we can take advantage of the opportunity to destroy their heavy cavalry, we can destroy their roads...... That besieged highway is so annoying. The more Gasaya spoke, the more angry he became, if it hadn't been for the Temple War, he might have sent out a heavy cavalry regiment.

Cardwell shook his head lightly and said, "Destroy their heavy cavalry?" 3 is not enough. ”

"That's five! By the way, destroy the light cavalry under the mountain. No loss. "Gassayh used the same method he used in the Senate to gradually increase the price.

But Cardwell still shook his head.

"Not enough?" Gasaya said helplessly: "You take them too seriously. ”

"Do we have fewer knights in the city? When the enemy arrived at the city, it was not that he had been beaten and could not raise his head. ”

"Their heavy javelinmen are too powerful."

"It's the same." Cardwell looked deeply at the crater at the bottom of the mountain, shifted from military to political, and said, "If we lose 10 Temple Knights, will we be able to stabilize the Senate?" ”

Gasaya was taken aback.

As the speaker, he led by example and sent most of the main forces under his command to the battlefield.

"I have the strength." Cardwell pointed to the former villagers who were jumping and screaming down the hill, his voice heavy and heavy as if he had been pulled out of a vat, "They're going to get whatever they want." ”

His words, even if they remind, are persuasion.

Gasayh turned his head in a dejected manner, unwilling to see the ugliness of the soldiers of the "Jiangning people" celebrating their victory.

Long.

The Speaker asked, "What's the worst-case scenario?" ”

He has to plan for the future of Mara City, and he trusts Cardwell's judgment.

"You should ask, what's the best-case scenario."

Gasayeh's tone froze: "What is it?" ”

"The temple appeased them and ceded the city of Mara to each other."

The speaker was stunned and speechless.

A harrier beast flew out of the white clouds and fell down with three quacks.

A young boy weighing up to 40 pounds jumped off the back of the harrier beast and handed the envelope with red máo to Gasayeh, and reported: "It's the request of Xijiang Water Village!" ”

"Read." Gasaye was reluctant to take the red envelope, naturally revealing the aristocratic boredom and reserve.

The young man knelt on one knee, gently unfolded the red envelope with both hands as if holding calligraphy and paintings, and said clearly: "All the people in the temporary meeting hall of Xijiang Shuizhai send a message to the speaker of the Mara City State: We pursue an open policy, and we hope to reach the following three points of consensus with you...... First, the city-state of Mara is a city-state for all, and it should be open for all to come and go; Second, roads are for all, and should be open for everyone to access; Third: the two sides do not attack each other and release the prisoners. ”

While Gasaya was still pondering the implications, Cardwell had already come to his senses and said, "They're not worried that we've captured their people." ”

The Harrier Beast is considered to be the fastest way to transmit information at the top of the Western Continent, so in its mind, Xijiang Water Village must not have received the news of victory. In fact, it's because they're too slow to deliver information.

Gasaya then hesitated, and stopping the war was the same for him as destroying the enemy. He whispered to Cardwell, "It's nice to be able to use their roads, and besides, stopping infighting during the Temple War will also reduce the burden on the front......"

As he spoke, he felt that his reasons were really strong, and his voice was a little louder, and he asked, "What do you think?" ”

"They didn't say that Xijiang Water Village was open."

"Xijiang Water Village was originally open. Let's take it back to the Senate to discuss. Gassayh added, "I think you can consider it." ”

Cardwell immediately said, "I think it's pretty good. ”

He was a good friend of Gasayeh for many years and knew what was on this guy's mind.

Don't look at His Excellency the Speaker just now, as if he was going to provoke a war, but his actual goals are two, to preserve the strength of the Mara city-state and eliminate the enemies of the Mara city-state. And the latter serves the former.

During the Temple War, if he could reach peace with Xijiang Shuizhai, he would naturally preserve the strength of the Mara city-state - the focus was to preserve the strength of Gasayya, and if he could not win at a small cost, then he hoped to wait until the return of the priest of Iyar before fighting, so that at least one more person could share the risk of decision-making.

"Let's return." Cardwell gave the order, and a knight shouted to deliver the message.

The group returned to Mara City solemnly, quietly crossed the road, and sneaked back into the city. Before arriving at the Senate, I found a merchant in the West Malaysia Market who often sold "Jiangning goods" in the city waiting there.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency." He skillfully stood up half of his position, not blocking the way of the Speaker, but also attracting enough attention.

"You're a local merchant." The Speaker's expression grew haughty. It's near Mara City, after all.

"Yes. My name is Conte, and I'm the messenger. "Businessmen are naturally submissive, but not really submissive.

The status of the merchants came from the amount of money they had, and through the business of the West Malaysian market, the merchants accumulated a large amount of money, which they lent to the nobles of the Mara city-state, thus controlling the economic resources of the nobles to some extent - not by debt, but by the future. Most aristocrats were good at spending money and not good at making money. Thus, when the estates outside the city could not provide them with a luxurious life, merchants like Conte made up the shortfall with loans, and if one nobleman defaulted, the other nobles would come forward to put pressure on them. If the nobles were collectively defaulting on their debts, the merchants stopped taking out loans, not forcibly recovering them, but not giving them the next time.

The nobility was always short of money, whether it was for the practice of war or fighting skills, or for the support of the servants and relatives of the family, or for a certain lady or mistress...... All in all, as long as the nobles needed to spend money a day, they would always be at the mercy of some merchant.

It was a gradual process, and the merchants who held the power of the economy were an important part of the city-state's economy, even the aristocracy should not be taken lightly.

Cardwell was well aware of the energy of these merchants, so he didn't pursue anything, but said, "Say what you preached." ”

"Yes. The generals of Xijiang Water Village hope that you will transfer the magical mountain and its annexes to them. ”

"Transfer, impossible." The Speaker immediately set out and didn't want to hear any more.

"Jiangning people are willing to pay." Conte whispered.

The speaker raised his eyebrows and said, "That's not going to work." ”

After speaking, he looked at Conte suspiciously, and said, "Xijiang Water Village just gave me an agreement, which did not mention Magical Mountain, what is the matter with you." ”

Conte smiled and said, "I am...... Like the tax package, I pay for it first...... and then sold to Xijiang people. ”

The speaker "snapped" a slap on Conte's face, and said angrily: "Joke! ”

"It's not a joke." Conte looked at the speaker's eyes with an unchanged smile, as if it was not himself who was beaten, and said in the same voice: "I have guaranteed the ticket to others, and I can come to Magic Mountain, otherwise...... Their heavy cavalry is about to enter the city. ”

"Their heavy cavalry is still in Magical Mountain." Cardwell said in a deep voice.

"You're all back, will they be far away?" Conte was a professional businessman, in other words, he had no concept of a city-state or a vassal, so he said without any psychological burden: "If you agree now, you can still get a sum of money, if you don't agree, you will be in trouble." ”

The speaker's nose wrinkled, his eyes narrowed, and he said, "You dare to threaten us?" ”

"Don't dare." Conte bent over, but there was a general smile on his face, deliberately lowered his voice, and said with a smile: "You agreed, the money doesn't have to be given to the city-state...... But the threat is real, and if necessary, I can say that the heavy cavalry of the Jiangning people will come to the city at once and fight until you are satisfied...... When the time comes, you will help approve the terms of the gift at the Senate, and then we will hand over the money directly to you. ”

"Clumsy." The speaker's righteous and stern words are actually what the other party said.

Cardwell scolded secretly, he couldn't leave even if he wanted to, needless to say, this merchant had put him in too. After all, the elite troops in the city left, and the officers of the slave camp left a lot, and he was the strongest force at this time.

City-state politics has never been against bribery. The Speaker smiled mysteriously and said, "Let their heavy cavalry talk." ”

This sentence can be understood as either agreeing to Conte's proposal or as a strong rejection, but it is a good speech material that can be used to take an oath.

Of course, Conte couldn't just leave, he took another half step forward and said with a smile: "Empty words, I can't go back to tell your opinion." ”

The speaker looked at him like a fool and said, "Do you still want me to leave some evidence for you?" ”

"Of course not, but at least send me a few craftsmen to prove it to the people of Jiangning. They want to know a little bit about the environment there. ”

The Speaker hesitated and said, "Craftsman? ”

"Just the ironmill people." After Conte finished speaking, he smiled like a persimmon, and said: "There is so much steel in Jiangning, and there is no need to rely on your craftsmen, bring a few people back, just get familiar with it...... Magical Mountain. ”

In the last three words, Conte simply used lip synching. The Speaker likes to be honest, so satisfy him.

"Okay." I don't know what persuaded the speaker, and he promised: "I will send you two people." ”

"Why bother." Conte got a little closer this time and said with a smile: "Jiang Ning people are waiting outside, in case you have a meeting for too long and there is a misunderstanding, it will be good to send someone." ”

The next meeting of the senate will definitely be held for a long time, the speaker thought about it, hooked his hand to call a knight, and said, "Rospitta, you go and choose a craftsman for Conte." ”

This time, he walked straight into the Senate and ignored the pesky businessman.

Conte smiled slightly, and then he disguised it.

He approached Rosepita, and smiled, "Your Excellency, when you arrive at the ironshop, please let me speak." ”

Rosepita frowned and said "Good".

The Great Sir can slap a merchant, but he, a small knight, does not dare to offend Conte.

Conte's eyes narrowed slightly.

The two beasts quickly turned a corner, and Conte took out a bag of snail shells, and gave it to Rosepita without saying anything, and said, "Lord Knight, please let me choose someone later." ”

That's what he's really for.

Rosepita hesitated and nodded.

When they arrived at the iron workshop, hundreds of craftsmen who crisscrossed the nine longhouses were all shouted out.

Conte looked at these ragged craftsmen, smiled and unfolded a piece of paper, and asked: "Iron Wind, Iron Thunder, Iron Electricity, Iron Four, Iron Seventeen, Iron Man ......"

He shouted 10 people in one breath.

Rosepita grabbed him and said, "The Speaker only gave you two. ”

Conte gently pulled his hand away and said, "The speaker later said that he asked you to take me to choose people, and did not give the number. A bag of snail shells. ”

Rosepita's hand slowly let go.

Who will have trouble with money, knights spend a lot, and even more so knights who want to become nobles.

"Guys, please take all your tools and come with me." Conte deliberately didn't say where to go.

The craftsmen of the ironworks here are not blacksmiths, they are miners to be precise. As a result, the status is far lower than that of blacksmiths who can craft metal weapons.

They didn't know what was going on outside the city, and the story of Magical Mountain hadn't come back yet.

Therefore, it is not uncommon for craftsmen to assume that they are going to work somewhere in the city. Therefore, it did not cause any sāo movement.

"Bring everything with you." Conte stared earnestly below, until a few craftsmen put their own god box-like things into the box, and then covered their cheeks to hide their joy.

"Let's go." With his movements, three cavalrymen and 30 soldiers appeared behind Conte.

Rosepita got the third bag of snails, completely too lazy to think about it.

……