Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Swamp

On the edge of a muddy swamp, Jill squinted into the distance. ()

Martin was removing some miscellaneous items from the wagon on the side, which were intended to be given to the owner of the swamp: a large box of nails, three barrels of flour, four pairs of ham, and a hundred pounds of salt.

These are the gifts that the Nords often carry with them when they visit relatives and friends. Now Jill hopes to use Martin's help to find the Chanda soldiers who are in exile in the swamp.

Not long ago, Martin took a closer look at a thin tattoo on Renault's hand.

Martin's expression must have been so serious and intimidating that Renault was almost scared to tears later: Martin stared into Renault's eyes and asked questions over and over again.

This is an interrogation technique that Martin learned in the army, asking questions quickly and repeatedly, so that he can weed out false and useless answers after asking a few questions. It worked, and Martin soon found a clue in Renault's not-so-clear memory: Reynolds' mother told him that it was his father's legacy.

Reynolds recalls intermittently that his mother had told him that his father was a cavalryman on a black horse, whose ears were as straight and sharp as a freshly forged dagger. Renault's father, an outsider, fell into the swamp a long time ago, and finally married the daughter of the swamp outcast, giving birth to Renault.

Renault had only vaguely told Jill that his father had been in trouble and had been driven away, and that Renault's mother and son had been affected.

Elsewhere, Jill didn't know much.

Renaud couldn't remember his father's name, and his father seemed to be more taboo about knowing it.

Either way, Jill decides to try his luck in the swamp and see if he can find the soldiers scattered across the swamp.

When Martin escaped from the army, he heard that the number of the Chanda army was no more than 1,000, and many of them were still incapable of fighting, old and weak, women and children. A few years later, when Martin saw the soldiers again, their equipment was in tatters and their numbers were even smaller. Now Martin had no faith in the three hundred of them, and the swamp was full of disease, wild beasts, famine, and the humid climate contributed to all the unfavorable factors.

At the same time, the Nords and Viecians have always regarded the exiles in the swamp as a factor of instability, and once discovered, they have always been forcibly removed or even exterminated.

After Jill mentioned his desire to find those people, Martin immediately agreed. Martin has always had a knot in his heart: more than ten years ago, the Nord people owed too much to the Zen masters, and if he didn't do something, Martin might not be able to sleep well for the rest of his life.

And Ivan's attitude was not so positive, and Ivan had never had a good impression of the soldiers. Although he liked the technological culture of the Chanda people, Ivan did not look differently at the Chanda soldiers: Ivan even believed that the soldiers were the source of all riots.

So when Gil decides to go to the border swamps between Vekia and Nord this time, Martin chooses to follow, while Ivan refuses to excuse himself on the grounds that the newly built school and things on the docks are too busy. Gil then gave Ivan part of his work, and then went to the border with Renault and Martin and a few retinues.

Fendra was still a very backward area compared to Suno, but when it came from Fendra all the way down the river to the land of Vikia upstream, the villages along the way were destitute compared to Fendra.

Martin traveled this road a long time ago, when Martin used to travel to WikiAsia to make money with herbs and beeswax. Herbs were used to heal soldiers, beeswax was used to maintain longbows, and with the end of the war, both of which were worthless, Martin's business ended, and after that, Martin stopped taking this trade route regularly.

This land is a relatively low-lying basin, and because the water cannot be drained smoothly from the river, this area has become a swampy land, with tidal flats and complex waterways. After entering the swamp, Martin also used several stones to form a triangle every three miles to confirm the direction.

"The river around here has changed over the years", Martin looked around and spat out a mouthful of phlegm, "When I saw the mountain in front of me from this direction, there was a small road here, and the path led to a small village, and now the road seems to have sunk into the swamp, tsk, I guess that village was swallowed up by the swamp."

These places are not insurmountable places with Martin, even if there is no road Martin does not care, but Jill can't, if there is no road to pass, Jill can hardly walk.

Jill looked around at the terrain around him, trying to memorize the places in his mind.

"We don't think we'll get anything", Martin licked his slightly sweaty upper lip and looked at the swamp that had become unrecognizable, "The Vikyans are very vicious, I remember one time when there was a flood in Vekia, those people did not hesitate to dig the river, let the flood tilt here, and then let the Nords suffer for them. ”

Jill didn't answer Martin's words, "Mr. Martin", Jill looked at the mountain peak, "Are you sure the roads around here were clear in the past?" ”

"That's right," Martin recalled, "in the past, the Kallad Empire had a dedicated river officer around it. At that time, after the river was dredged, a lot of acres were developed in this swamp. Later, after the decline of the Karad people, they were unable to control the area, and the floods continued for many years, and the surrounding residents gradually dispersed, and the roads they built back then were also abandoned. ”

"Then how can you still be sure that those soldiers are in this Daze?"

"They have nowhere to go, and once they leave the swamp, I must be the first to know," Martin continued, "and when I came here, the land was doomed to flooding. When I met the soldiers, they were looking for a place to settle in the swamp. You know, it's impossible, and I doubt that one day this lowland will turn into a small lake. ”

Martin's exaggerated words were not believed by Jill. Having learned a bit about geography, Jill realized that perhaps the area was not as desolate as Martin suggested, and that the topography of the land meant it to be a swamp, but never a lake.

In the Kallad era, it was actually against nature to drain the excess water to make land by manually dredging the waterways, but now that the role of man has weakened, the land is recovering to the track of nature--- becoming more natural, and there is no desolation or prosperity for nature.

"Where can they go," Martin said, shaking his head, "on this continent, they can only stay in this swamp." I always remember what my friend who was a Zen scholar said to me, 'Once they leave here, as a free army, the Nords cannot tolerate them; As Zen people, the Wikibians can't tolerate them; As the guardians of the republican system, the Swadians could not tolerate them; As believers in God, the Salanders could not tolerate them; As defenders of classical civilization, the Rhodocks could not tolerate them; As agriculturists who worked with grain, the Kugit could not tolerate them. They came from all the places, but there was no place to go. They can only live in swamps, waiting for their eventual extinction. ”

"Hmm," was the first time Jill heard the tragic fate of Chanda's relics, "that summary is so subtle, and it is very sad. ”

"Well, yes, yes", Martin nodded, then pushed a large stone into a small puddle in front of Jill and pulled Jill over, "I don't miss them anymore, we're in the same situation as them now, let's think about what we're going to do tonight." ”

The group continued on their way, and before nightfall, Martin found a dry plateau. There they found something exciting: a circle of blackened stones.

Apparently, someone camped here not so long ago.

A few of his attendants went around to look for dry wood at Martin's instructions, and Martin began to gather the large boxes and cattle and then formed a small defensive position.

An hour later, a few of the attendants brought some firewood, which did not dry well, and when it burned it it smoked a lot, and some of it was completely unlit. Martin had to chop the wet wood with a knife and place it evenly around the fire, ready to dry it for later use.

The attendants built an iron frame with iron drills, then strained half a pot of water with grass pulled from the shore, and boiled the beans after setting up a fire.

The beans are bought from estates in the south and are full of grains. It is said that these beans were produced from the estate of a certain Swadian settler, and this bean is called Suno, which was originally only produced in the Sunoan Plain, but now that it has been brought to Nord by the immigrants, there may be more to be enjoyed by the inhabitants of the northern country in the future.

Martin tested the temperature of the water with his fingertips, and after feeling that it was almost enough, he poured some flour and spices into it, and boiled the bean soup to be thicker, and when the bubbles on the soup began to look cloudy and heavy, Martin nodded, "It's okay." ”

One of the attendants took a few wooden bowls and handed them over, and Martin scooped them with an iron spoon. The portion given to Jill was dug out as much as Martin could, and in the words of the executioner, 'save the hardest food for the most honorable'.

Martin said with a smile, "When we were in the army, we often couldn't eat, so we boiled the bark, tubers, and rabbit meat together, and when it was cooked, we didn't look at what it was, we poured it with our eyes closed, and we didn't let it stop on our throats, otherwise you would be able to taste inexplicable." Later, things got better, and we ate clean flour and fragrant beans.

Martin lifted a spoonful of batter and okara and prepared to explain to the crowd the composition of his favorite bean noodle soup.

At this time, there was a sharp sound of air conflict, and years of experience in the army had given Martin an instinct, and he knew what to do when a crisis situation came.

Martin leaped on top of Jill, overpowering him. While a few of the attendants were still surprised, a javelin plunged into the fire, and the flames flew into the flames. The iron frame collapsed, and the bean soup overflowed and extinguished the bonfire, emitting a white mist.

After dodging the first blow, Martin pulled Jill and quickly moved behind a tree. At this time, a few followers reacted, and hurriedly grabbed their weapons and ran around looking for shelter.

"Bastard", Martin's voice was like thunder, shouting at the unknown enemy, "The Nords hate Bill the most for messing up their own meals"

"Whoever you are, you've me off"