Malta, a small island in the heart of the Mediterranean, was once known as the "home of knights", and on a narrow peninsula in the Gulf of Malta at the northeastern end of the Gulf of Malta stands the huge Knight's Castle of St. John. The castle is surrounded by thick stone walls filled with holes and arrowholes, and even many bullet marks, giving it a sense of history.

The castle is lined with stone pillars and arches, and the neat streets, mottled stone walls, and the sea breeze that blows in your face are a great sight to behold. Walk inside the castle to see some ancient decorations and sculptures, as well as towering white towers, stone battlements with a flagpole and a piercing red yellow dragon flag.

"No one could have imagined that it had only been many years, and the power of the Qi people had penetrated deep into the Mediterranean." Rudy Gobert, captain of the French merchant ship "Albi", took his gaze back with a wry smile on his face, "For hundreds of years, we French people have had to compete with the Venetians, Genoese, and Spaniards in this sea. Later, they had to fight with the English and tried to extend their influence throughout the Mediterranean. Now, we have ushered in the Qi people on the Han continent again. ”

"Compared with the English, the Qi people are probably more difficult to deal with." Matthias Lessot, captain of the Bordeaux Warrior, said: "This is a country with a larger population, a stronger economy and, most importantly, a stronger maritime power. Yes, the Qi-British War, which ended only two years ago, has amply demonstrated this, and on the ocean, it seems that no country can challenge the Qi people. ”

"So, what about on land?" Rudy Goebel asked with a smile.

"The people of Qi have slaughtered all sides in the Indian Ocean region, and they are almost invincible. However, they do not seem to have had a head-on confrontation with European countries on land. Even in the past Qiying War, most of them were fought at sea. Matthias Lesot thought for a moment and said with some uncertainty: "Oh, by the way, I heard that the size of their army seems to be less than 80,000 people, which is comparable to the Kingdom of Prussia, and if it is against the army of our Kingdom of France, it should be limited." Of course, if they try to cross the sea to attack our French mainland, they will surely meet with a shameful defeat. ”

"Matthias, my friend, you may have forgotten that the army of Qi has actually fought against our European countries. Moreover, the strength of this country is still very strong, having defeated the Baltic hegemon. ”

"Oh, you mean Russia?" Matthias Lesot looked disdainful, "Although Russia defeated Sweden, they barely won the final victory by relying purely on brute force and the great depth of their territory, plus the siege of Sweden by uniting Prussia, Denmark and Poland. …… Oh, Russia is not a civilized country in Europe. ”

"But in any case, Russia is the only country in Europe that is engaged in a large-scale ground war with Qi countries. Oh, and although they were defeated badly, almost losing all the Caucasus regions they had captured, they experienced first-hand the power of the Qi army. ”

"It seems that the army of Qi stationed in Persia is only seven or eight thousand, so the scale of the entire battle should not be large, and it cannot be compared with the grand battles of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in the European battlefield."

"But the Qi people used these seven or eight thousand people to defeat tens of thousands of Russian troops, and they had almost no power to fight back, so they were driven all the way to the bank of the Manech River, and finally ceded land to the Qi people and sued for peace."

"Didn't the Russians end up with a peace treaty with Persia?"

"Is there a difference?"

"Oh, too. The Qi people almost controlled the internal and foreign affairs of the Persians, and can be regarded as the masters behind the Persian Empire. ”

"I don't understand why the people of Qi are so strict against Russia and spare no effort to suppress it. A dozen years ago, they supported the Ottoman Empire's resolute resistance to Russian expansion in Moldavia and Wallachia. A few years earlier, he had teamed up with the Persian Empire to expel the Russians from the Caucasus; In addition, Qi vigorously supported the Kingdom of Sweden against Russia's westward expansion strategy, so that there was hardly any trace of Russia's westward expansion. ”

"It's not surprising." Matthias Lesot saw a troop of wagons full of goods rushing out of the city gate, and hurriedly avoided the roadside with his companions, "No matter how strong the Ottoman Empire is, it can only stop at Vienna, and it is not able to enter the heart of Europe at all. The Persian Empire, after a blow from the Afghan tribal forces, collapsed, and could only plunge into the arms of the Qi people and barely support the framework of the empire. ”

"But Russia is different, although they are located in the wild region of Eastern Europe, and they are in a backward Slavic civilization, it is undeniable that Russia should be regarded as a European power in terms of land area and population size. The Slavs of the Balkans are of the same species as them, and if Russia were to rush into Moldavia or Wallachia, it would inevitably become a big country in the Black Sea region, and the entire European continent would be affected by them. Let's not forget that Russia is second only to our Kingdom of France in terms of military size, and since Peter I the whole country has been very aggressive and expansive. ”

"......," Rudy Goebel was stunned for a moment, "but shouldn't these be our own European affairs?" …… The hands of the Qi people are inevitably stretched too long! ”

"Yes, the hands of the Qi people are stretched too long." Matthias Lesot said with a wry smile: "Actually, after the War of the Spanish Succession, the people of Qi have extended their hands to Europe. Therefore, we can see that some major affairs involving the European region are no longer decided by France and a few major European powers such as England, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire, and the state of Qi has gradually become an important factor with decisive influence. ”

"I can see it." Rudy Goebel seemed to have in mind, "The Qi people are no longer satisfied with the hegemony of the Indian Ocean region, they want to seek the hegemony of the whole world. Oh, I have to say, the ambitions of the Qi people are really crazy, they want to dominate the world and control the world. ”

"Yes, the arrogant Qi people." Matthias Lessot complained: "From the East Indies, to the Indian Ocean, to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, they occupy almost all strategic maritime points, and they also control the key points on the east-west route. Wherever we go, we seem to feel the influence of the Qi people. ”

As the two captains talked, they walked slowly into the city of Ningjin (present-day Valletta, Malta), where they planned to stay for a short night to replenish some food and water supplies before continuing to Venice.

"I guess those two are Dutch." Wu Jinding, a sergeant of the 3rd Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 25th Mixed Regiment of the Army stationed on Zhongyang Island (i.e., Malta Island), was lying on the battlements of the city wall, looking at the pedestrians who were constantly coming in and out, and turned to his companion and said, "Do you want to bet a dime with me?" ”

“…… Squad leader, I don't bet. Private First Class Shen Fuan continued to maintain a vigilant posture and replied in a low voice.

"It's boring." Wu Jinding pursed his lips, then leaned against the wall, wrapped the military coat on his body a little tighter, and boredly took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it with a fold of fire, and comfortably spit out a smoke ring.

Seeing this, Shen Fuan couldn't help but look to the sides worriedly.

If the commander of the patrol saw the squad leader lazily leaning against the wall and smoking, he was afraid that he would be severely reprimanded, would he be implicated?

"Wow, look at your nervousness!" Wu Jinding saw Shen Fuan, who had a cautious and cautious face, and couldn't help sneering, "The cold wind is swishing outside, so the chief won't be idle and come to check the sentry." ”

"In case, if an enemy calls......"

"The enemy is coming?" Wu Jinding couldn't help but be happy, "Our Zhongyang Island is located in the depths of the Mediterranean Sea, and it's not something that can be attacked by casual enemies!" Besides, with the prestige of our Qi country, which country dares to attack it? ”

"Oh......" Shen Fu'an heard this, his tense body couldn't help but relax immediately, and he moved his hands and feet slightly.

"It's boring!" Wu Jinding took a deep puff of the cigarette, and then spit out one smoke ring after another in boredom, "Fu'an, do you know where our army garrison is most comfortable?" ”

“…… Is it native? Shen Fuan replied subconsciously.

The local area is bustling and lively, and there are many noisy cities, which have almost all the goods in this world, and the prices are still very low, and you can buy a lot of good things to bring back to your hometown.

Even if it is not stationed in Hanzhou itself, as long as it is in the territory of the governor near Hanzhou, it is excellent. Because, in this case, it will be very close to your hometown.

"Bullshit!" Wu Jinding took another puff of cigarette, "What's so good about being stationed in the mainland?" Oh, and what else is there but being closer to home? Nothing, no credit, no battlefield captures, no fart! …… By the way, where are you from? ”

"Squad leader, I'm from Luzon." Shen Fuan said in a low voice.

I remember that when I came to this island with a group of reinforcements a few months ago, didn't I already tell the squad leader?

"Hey, Luzon, that's far enough." Wu Jinding smashed his mouth, "You came from Luzon, and you have to walk for four or five months on the road, right?" I wondered, why didn't the commander of the Military Service assign you to the nearest Nanyang or Ryukyu? ”

“…… I do not know. Shen Fuan replied in amazement.

Yes, I was born on Luzhong Island in Luzon (now Subu Island in the Philippines), not to mention that I have never been to Hanzhou itself, and I have never even been out of the island, but I never thought that after serving in the military, I would be assigned to such a distant Mediterranean.

I don't know where the partners in the village who joined the army with him were assigned.

When I was in school, I learned from my geography textbook that we have a vast territory, and we have our territory all over the world, and I think that those soldiers who have just enlisted in the army are scattered everywhere like him.

"Squad leader, you haven't said where our soldiers are most comfortable?" After chatting for a while, Shen Fuan was very curious about Fang Cai's question.

"Oh, where is the best place to be stationed?" Wu Jinding took the last puff of the cigarette in his hand, and then threw the remaining cigarette butt to the ground, "That's naturally stationed in India." There, the officers and the officers all live like old men, and even we, the big-headed soldiers, are extremely blessed, and we can call those Indian natives to serve us at will. I heard that a few dimes can wrap a beautiful woman of sixteen or seventeen years old in bed. …… Hey, in India, as long as it's us Qi people, it's almost sideways. Even if there is a battle, it will not be the turn of our Qi army to make a move, just hold a gun and supervise those local Indian servants to charge into battle. …… If the battlefield is captured, we don't even have to pick and choose it ourselves, we have those servants to send it over. And yes, you have to pick the best and send it. His grandmother's, all the guys who were demobilized from the Indian garrison, almost everyone was wrapped in a full hug, and when they returned to their hometown, they could build a big house and marry a beautiful daughter-in-law. …… That day, not to mention how beautiful it was! ”

"Really?" Shen Fuan's eyes showed an extremely envious look.

"Of course, the number of Indian troops stationed in the cantonment is limited, only 12,000 people, but you can't go if you want to." Wu Jinding said: "However, in addition to India, Persia, Ryukyu, and Japan are also good. Oh, and by the way, the Kingdom of Ireland in Europe is also a great place to garrison. In these places, we Qi people have a high status and good welfare, and if you spend a little money, you can also find a woman to give birth to you. ”

"What about the overseas governors' territories?"

"It depends on the place." Wu Jinding leaned against the wall and said leisurely: "In the Nanyang area, although it is close to the mainland, the climate is hot and the rainforest is everywhere, so it is really not a good place. If you don't do it, you have to kill the native tribes who don't obey the king, and if you win, you won't get any benefit, and they are so poor that they are tinkling. As for several regions such as Qianzhou (present-day South Africa), Puzhou (present-day Angola), and Weizhou (present-day Mozambique), there is no oil or water, and the women there are really not easy to talk about. There are several strongholds under the jurisdiction of the Red Sea Governorate, it is better not to go, in the middle of summer, it can kill people! ”

"What about Egypt?"

"What do you think?" Wu Jinding was stunned for a moment, "Although Egypt has been infiltrated into a sieve by our Qi country, and all aspects are controlled by our Qi country, but after all, it is still the territory of the Ottomans, how can we allow the army of our Qi country to be stationed?" However, if you are demobilized and demobilized, you can find an errand with an armed guard there, and I heard that the salary is still very good. ”

"Oh......" Shen Fuan nodded, and then asked, "What about this Zhongyang Island that we are stationed there now?" ”

"This broken island, surrounded by the sea on all sides, and the population is still so sparse, how can there be any oil and water?" Wu Jinding complained: "Don't you know, a few years ago, when the English captured this island, they almost ransacked it, and the gold, silver and jewelry they looted filled two large ships. Hey, it's their bad luck! In the Alvoran Sea, we met our Qi naval fleet, and after a big battle, the treasure ship was intercepted, and in the end, all of them were cheapened by the navy and the government. Later, our Qi country captured this island, and then implemented military management for two years, and the valuable things on the island were looted again, and there was not even a hair left. Tell me, let's stay here, apart from looking at the sea every day and blowing the sea breeze, what other joy is there? Dog's day, even Yi Pozi is getting less and less! It's going to be a fire, it's going to have fun, and there's nowhere to go......"

"Wu Jinding, that's how you are on duty on dog days!"

When he was blindly pressing, an officer of the Imperial Military Colonel (Captain) strode over, and when he saw Wu Jinding lazily leaning against the wall, he couldn't help but sink his face and shout loudly.

"Sir!"

"Sir!"

Shen Fuan's face turned white with fright.

I'm afraid I'm going to be punished by the chief!

"Sir......" Wu Jinding was stared at by the company commander and his scalp tightened a little, but he still squeezed out a trace of smiling face, revealing a flattering expression.

"You're also a veteran, how can you set an example?" Company Commander Lu Shuhong asked coldly.

"Hehe...... sir, it's not like I'm looking for a sentry, so I'm a little lax."

"Slack?" Lu Shuhong looked the veteran up and down, "If the officers and soldiers of the whole company are as lax as you, then when you really want to carry out military affairs, won't you have to be strained?" ”

"Huh?" When Wu Jinding heard this, his heart moved, "Sir, are we going out to perform military affairs?" ”

"What do you say?"

"I'm a big-headed soldier, how can I have the qualifications to speak. …… Sir, where are we going? ”

"Venice." Lu Shuhong said: "In the past few days, I have been tidying up my housework, packing up, and waiting for the assembly order, but don't make any mess for me." Otherwise, hum ......"

"Venice? Hey, no, isn't there two battalions there? Why did you still transfer troops from Zhongyang Island? ”

"The Venetians rioted." Lu Shuhong said lightly: "We have to help the brothers over there put down the riot in the past." ”

“…… Hey, okay! ”

(End of chapter)