The mist that had spread in the afternoon was indeed a precursor to the mountain rain, as Narumi had said, and the daylight hours that had been usually longer due to the arrival of summer were an exception today, but by 4 p.m. the sky had become completely dark.

In order to see the way in the darkened light so that they could set up camp, the hat-wearers took off their veils. The rest of the hats, made of bamboo frames filled with palm leaves, are still worn because they protect against rain.

The efficiency of the group was impeccable, and after quickly finding a suitable open space for camping, they quickly unfurled, erected, and fixed the various tents. Despite this, the rain caught up with them before the tent was built.

The boreal coniferous plants do not have the same shading ability as the rainforest, and the unsheltered rain falls with a loud sound like a small drum when it hits the hat and helmet.

"Pap, papa" The Luo'an girl who stretched out her hand to catch the rain felt a faint pain in her palm, and this rain was not at all as reserved as it was pursued by the human society. It's more like Loan's spirits, bold and direct, mercilessly striking at anyone who dares to touch it.

"With rain of this magnitude, I'm afraid there will be flash floods later. Henry's Chinese language became more and more proficient with this round of communication, and his somewhat outdated vocabulary and grammar made the surrounding samurai cast strange glances every time he spoke. Mira had even privately heard the samurai refer to him as a storyteller—an apparently troubadour-like profession in the Land of the Moon, with the same obscure wording as poetry.

"Well, after camping, you should generally explore the surroundings, so that there are no loose mountains nearby. Narumi agrees with Narumi for this statement, and it is not uncommon for rains of this magnitude to cause flash floods and even mudslides in the mountainous land of Tsukino.

If you don't probe to make sure there are no similar dangers around, you may be swallowed up by a sudden disaster when you rest at night.

They found the glade which looked flat at first glance, but it was too thick to see further away in the fog. It may seem like there will be flat ground nearby, but when you look through the fog, you can see a cliff or a hillside less than a few dozen meters away.

Although it is located in the middle of the road rather than a settlement, the woods are relatively well preserved and have not been cut down, which reduces the chance of landslides to a certain extent. But no matter how subjectively you are willing to believe, speculation will not become a fact. Therefore, the best option is to send a small group of people out to explore after the camp work is completed to ensure that they can spend the night safely.

Although from this point of view, it may not be better to camp for the time being. Because they couldn't detect the danger, they had to move out of here, and in that case, the tent that they had worked so hard to erect would be a complete waste of manpower and time.

But the rain is pouring down, and the young masters of the Qingtian family and the noble senior samurai must have a place to stay, and they can't just get wet like stupid melons.

Even if you don't use this kind of statement from the bottom of the eye, the tone is a bit cynical. Realistically speaking, under the heavy rain of this scale, personal rain gear cannot be fully effective, and if the camp tent is not set up in time, many items such as daily necessities will also be eroded by the rain and become ineffective.

When the rice gets wet, it will become moldy, and if the firewood is wet, it will be choking smoke. Weapons and armor will rust when soaked in water, and wooden scabbards will swell and cannot be pulled out, in short, there are many harms.

In fact, despite their speed, few of them were completely dry when the tents had been set up with great difficulty, reinforced according to the rain, and the supplies had been moved in large quantities.

The wet clothes and hair were irritating, and the armor was removed and hung to dry on a frame on the inner edge of the tent. Candles and oil lamps were lit on the central pillar, and because of the heavy rain, the horses and pack oxen were pulled into the ashigaru's tents, leaving the empty ox carts outside and drenched in torrential rain.

The space inside the tent was supposed to be quite spacious, but it became crowded after the large number of cows and horses entered. The smell of scarlets on the livestock gradually filled the tent with the temperature emitted by the lighting equipment. So much so that the entrance of the tent under the torrential rain has a rare fresh breath, and the ashigaru, who are busy with sweat and rain, are crowded at the entrance of the tent like fish lacking water.

The experience wasn't very good, but tonight was no exception for Henry and the others who came from outside, as well as high-ranking samurai.

Although they were not cattle or horses, their tents were also stocked with a large amount of supplies. Because the ox cart could carry more supplies more efficiently, it seemed a bit self-defeating at this time, and the supplies carried were increased, but their tent was still the same size as before. At this time, after moving in to avoid the rain, there is almost no room for people to move around.

Several of the samurai expressed their concern that they would not be able to react in time if they were attacked at night. Because there are too many materials piled up in the camp tent, if you want to fight, you will probably bump into it first.

However, despite the large amount of supplies they carried, they were all necessities, and if they didn't move in when it rained so hard, they waited to soak in water. The probability of an attack is relatively low at the moment, so Narumi finally makes the decision to prioritize the preservation of supplies.

Teams that are overstretched and therefore lack mobility are always good targets, and the group's supposed most threatening rebel aristocratic forces have not actually encountered them so far. On the contrary, the bandits had already fought once before, and even within the sphere of influence of Xinjing, bandits and robbers were often seen near the national highway.

The most heavily infestation by bandits in the country of the Moon Country is the coastal area, and there are many small islands scattered near the narrow Crescent continent. The pirates even claimed to have established their own kingdoms, constantly raiding and harassing the rich central and southern coasts.

Most of the rest are bandits on an irregular scale.

Most of these people were originally mountain people, and the land was barren and unsuitable for farming, and because of the famine and poor harvests, they lived a life of plundering others.

Although they belong to the He ethnic group rather than the minority according to the official definition of Heren, their dialects and cultures are very different from those of mainstream society. These people are hard-working, can walk on foot in the mountains with the slightest efficiency not lost to horses, and they are formed in small scales, and run into the deep mountains and dense forests after plundering.

This kind of seemingly incompetence is actually an attempt to get away with it.

Small, scattered bandits could not be easily captured, they were more familiar with the mountains and forests than the samurai troops, and would scatter if an army intervened. At most, grab a few small minions, and you can't really hit the point.

But the dispersion of these people is not intentional, if the government intends to let it go, the bandits will become more and more arrogant. When the mentality swells to a certain extent, they will begin to assemble into a larger organization, and the occupation is king.

The bandit organization that I encountered in that encounter when I set out from Qingzhi was the result of this development, but at this scale, even if I didn't just bump into them and my group, the days of being able to jump around didn't last long.

There is no point in striking a little minion. But when the organization has developed into a large enough scale and has a stronghold, and knows who the backbone is, it will launch a fatal blow and wipe it out, so that the thieves can be greatly damaged.

— but let's get back to square one.

In short, through this combination of desire to capture and strong strikes, although the bandits were not completely exterminated, the bandit groups that would exist along the Xinjing National Highway would never become a large-scale organization that occupied one side.

Small-scale bandit groups of three or five can at best intimidate and plunder small traveling merchant groups, and in the face of heavily armed samurai troops like them, even the slightest bit of brains will retreat.

Vigilance is indispensable, but you don't have to be nervous.

With the previous battle with the bandits and Yajiro's distress, the samurai have not yet fully digested this new experience.

The knights of the Padrosi Empire, who have more combat experience than the warriors of the Lunar Country, have a motto called "There is no advanced skill, only the basic skill that can be used perfectly under pressure".

As a unit that was also born under the training system of a powerful country, it is more appropriate to use them as a comparison object than to take mercenaries, which are more empirical and empirical stragglers.

In Henry's time, when the knights' defense was mainly shields, they also had a saying that "more than 90% of shields have never been on the battlefield".

Props damaged during sweaty practice on the training ground don't lie, and the key to victory is to have a solid foundation rather than pursuing cool nirvana. But training alone is not enough, and Yajiro can feel this by looking at the other Aota samurai.

When people face dangerous, chaotic, and unknown situations, their minds fluctuate psychologically, and it is common for their minds to go blank under pressure. How to adapt to it, how to overcome it and stay calm, everyone has their own set of methods, and this is not something that can be achieved in a hurry.

A considerable number of the samurai of the Aota family have experienced so-called stress reactions, and they have become suspicious and neurotic, often chasing after the wind and speculating about danger, and they cannot sleep well at night. This is inevitable, and even knowing that this is theoretically a peaceful zone, psychological fear is not something that can be easily overcome. Fortunately, Kazuto's strict concept of superiors and subordinates has played a role, as long as Narumi and the others are clear-headed, there will not be too many problems in the team.

All in all, in the midst of such and such episodes, the group of people who had been placed in the tent began to inspect and try to dry their equipment.

After roughly solving this problem, the ashigaru people braved the rain to move a large stone outside as a platform, pulled up a tarp and fixed it on the trunk of the tree, rolled it up quite high, and lit a fire underneath to make a simple dinner.

The slight angle of shading caused a huge amount of rain to pour out from the inside out, forming a curtain, and although the movement was fast, the slightly damp firewood was lit several times but failed to burn. Eventually, one of them, an elderly and experienced life, took out a clay pot with lard from the food, dug up a spoonful, and smeared it on the ignition to help it burn, and finally lit the firewood.

It's just that the choking white smoke came as scheduled, making the guys around the side cough again and again.

Fortunately, they did it outside the tent, otherwise the smoke would have frightened the cattle and horses, damaged the tent and supplies, and fled.

The burning lard emitted an unpleasant stench, which was eventually dissipated by the gradual addition of firewood after the flame was officially lit. The conditions for lighting the fire were tough, but dinner was still very nutritious because of the variety of materials available.

Since there is no time to boil slowly, the washed rice is mashed and put into the pot. Add dried mushrooms and rehydrated vegetables purchased in Taizhou before. When the temperature rises, some of the firewood is removed, leaving only the controlled charcoal pile to simmer and lick. Cover with a wooden lid and wait patiently until the pot is boiling, and with a burst of mist, the appetizing fragrance wafts through the camp.

The mixed porridge that was added to everyone's bowl rose in the air that had cooled down due to heavy rain. In order to save firewood, the bonfire was not as lit as it was, so some samurai casually pulled out their short knives and stuck them on the cedar trees as a temporary place to hang lanterns.

Delicious food at the HVAC always lifts people's moods, and like a big family, people of literally different classes and regions huddle together with wooden bowls to enjoy dinner.

The minced rice grains are boiled to give them a soft texture that is easy to eat, the dried vegetables are crispy to bite into, and the mushrooms have a unique aroma and a meat-like chewiness. The fragrant flavor fills the mouth, and the rich taste and hot temperature make the body feel unhappy again and refresh.

Within a few moments, the porridge in the cauldron had bottomed out. After a day of driving and doing a lot of hard work, there are many people licking their spoons and looking at the bottom of the dark pot that the firelight cannot fully illuminate, looking unfinished. The old Qiao who noticed this said something to Yajiro, the little young master nodded, and then the middle-aged villager went to fetch some dry food and distributed it to Ashigaru.

Changing the ox cart can bring more supplies, and Yajiro, who has deep pockets, will naturally not save. Old Joe handed out to the ashigaru people a rare taste of jerky, and although the amount of each one was not particularly large, it was enough to make them grateful.

Ashigaru people are always simple, and morale will rise after a moment of low food and drink. With Lao Qiao, a low-class countryman who is close to them and understands their thoughts, there is really not much to worry about.

The arrangement of the Qingtian family's team is very good, there are people in charge of all levels, and it is obvious that the members are carefully selected.

Time ticked by, and about 30 minutes after the early dinner, it was estimated that it was only 6 p.m., although it was completely dark. Seeing that the rain showed no signs of abating, Narumi picked out a few experienced ashigaru and some samurai as leaders, and divided into several pairs to go to the nearby directions to investigate.

The good news was that the fog had completely dissipated after a few hours of heavy rain, so the wooden lanterns carried by the samurai and ashigaru could shine quite far away after adjusting the reflective bronze mirror at the back.

The lanterns, made of refractory and waterproof lacquered wooden shells, are resistant to rain falling from above, but because they have a round hole for lighting, they will be wet if the wind blows the rain slantedly.

The only thing that the vast Moon Country lost to Rigal was probably the invention of glass, and Priest Alfonso keenly captured this and used it as a topic to start a conversation with Narumi and the others.

Jiang is still old and spicy, and his silence has always been to observe and learn from the exchanges between Henry and the others and the samurai, and now he no longer hesitates to find a breakthrough.

It was easy for the Padrosi man to guess that if the missionaries did not have direct contact with the samurai, he would have to rely entirely on Henry's intermediary relationship, which was obviously insecure for him.

Establish a direct connection with the locals, many things can be carried out without going through the sages, and the less people know about things, the safer things are, and some small calculations that cannot be put on the table have to be premised on this.

Henry saw this, but he didn't say anything or stop it.

The Padrossis have their own plans, and there are people and people. Narumi wasn't an idiot, the missionaries had a bad reputation in the Land of the Moon right now, and even if they accepted these people to act together, it didn't mean that they would take them seriously.

Alfonso was rightfully treated coldly, and he returned to the ranks of the missionaries.

But this obviously won't be the last attempt.

Time continues to pass slowly, and when everything that should be done is done, most people have trouble sleeping because their clothes are still not completely dry.

After a long trip in the wilderness and a sweltering summer, sweating for days has actually made many people's clothes smell sour. At this time, coupled with the strange smell of the rain that dries naturally from the body temperature after the rain is poured on the body and hair, even if it is not for the tent full of cattle and horses where the Ashigaru people are resting, the inside of the other people's tents actually does not smell good.

It's wet and sticky, it's raining but it's still not completely cool, and the feeling of bare skin sticking together when lying down is extremely irritating.

In the midst of this tossing and turning.

"Uhhh

It was as if it had come, and the rain suddenly stopped.

"At least the danger at night is reduced. Many people breathed a sigh of relief, and at this time, the people who went to explore the surrounding area also came back one after another.

The south side is sloping, and the north side is far away from the flat land without much undulation. That is, the place is considered a high ground, but fortunately it is not steep.

To the west is the auxiliary road, and there is no need to explore the direction when you came, but the most pleasing thing is the news brought by the people from the east.

"Found a hot spring!"

When I was dozing, the pillow was delivered to the door, and many people who were in an irritable mood, mainly the women in the team, became excited.

The sky quickly cleared.

The brilliant starry sky fell from the treetops, and then the silver-white moonlight spread over the forest after the rain.

The water beads still left on the short grass and the occasional low bush reflected the brilliance of the stars and the moon, and the ground that had just been washed by the torrential rain did not even sound the sound of insects, so quiet that you could hear the rustle of trousers rubbing against the grass as you walked.

As we progressed, the vegetation became more and more sparse, and when we arrived at a place with a slight smell of sulfur, a huge natural hot spring appeared in front of everyone.

"Take turns washing, the barrels are ready, and the clothes must be washed!"

After the rain, the sky is clear, and the fatigue of the way can be washed away by the hot springs found by good luck.