Chapter 710 Fertile Salt-Alkali Land (1/2)

Shuguang City First Hospital.

Lying on the hospital bed, Duke Galava stared blankly at the first ray of light coming across the window in the morning. His pale face looked like he was just recovering from a serious illness.

He had been suffering from insomnia all night these days. Every time he closed his eyes, he would be awakened by nightmares and find himself covered in cold sweat.

He couldn't understand.

Why did the ace that the Valantians helped them lose.

I can’t even understand how they lost to a mere five hundred people.

"...Technology?"

His heart was palpitating slightly, his lips were moving tremblingly, and there seemed to be a glimmer of understanding in his cloudy pupils.

There are ways to cure diseases that cannot be cured by palace doctors. He vaguely heard someone say that it was because of technology and technology.

And the most astonishing thing is that not only princes and nobles like him can get help here, but their medical resources are even rich enough to install mechanical prostheses on those seemingly impoverished ghosts.

I even heard from Niyang that they had set up something called a refugee home. Some survivors who had lost their hands and feet could receive a free sum of money to replace basic mechanical prostheses, as long as they were willing to learn life skills and accept work arrangements. interest loan.

After calming down, Duke Galawa felt his back was soaked with cold sweat again.

Only then did he gradually realize what kind of opponent they were provoking.

but……

This failed trial is not a bad thing.

At least he figured out how to make the Empire stronger.

Relaxing his shoulders and neck and sinking the back of his head on the pillow, Duke Galava comforted himself in his heart and felt a little better.

"...We have to find a way to get some technology."

Just as he was thinking, there were footsteps outside the door.

He was startled when he thought the voice he read was being heard, and sweat broke out on his back. It wasn't until he saw that the person who appeared at the door was his confidant Ni Yang that he relaxed his tense shoulders a little.

"Sir, are you awake?!" Niyang stood at the door with a stack of paper in his hand, looking at Duke Galawa who had opened his eyes in surprise.

Jarawa looked at him with a serious face, and was about to call him in, but when he saw the pile of paper in his hand, his heart suddenly tightened.

"Take the newspaper away!"

He didn't want to see this now.

Anyway, it is foreseeable that there is definitely no good news.

"This... is not a newspaper, sir, but a ceasefire agreement drafted by the alliance." Seeing the Duke's excited reaction, Niyang whispered honestly and honestly, "Do you need me to throw it away for you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Duke Galava jumped up from the bed as if he touched a switch.

He didn't look like a patient at all. His bloodshot eyeballs seemed to fall out of their sockets. He stretched out his hand with all his strength.

"give it to me!"

"As you command, my lord."

Niyang nodded respectfully and walked forward with the draft, but a trace of imperceptible loss flashed across his buried face.

Pity.

He used all his strength to push out the fire, which should have caused the crumbling building blocks to collapse to the bottom, but was held down by an invisible hand.

If this war was carried out thoroughly to the end, and the bad blood that exuded the smell of corpses was drained out at once, and the insects that lay on the giants to suck blood were drowned, there might still be a glimmer of hope for nirvana in his hometown.

But now, he can only lament his bad luck...

…

The war is over.

At least for a while.

Golden Gallen Harbor, the ruins in front of the Governor's Palace, the faint smell of blood cannot be washed away even if it rains several times.

A group of people in clothes knelt on the ground and prayed with their hands clasped together, thanking the guardian spirits for protecting them from death and disaster. Others in ragged clothes carried baskets and searched around on the rubble, throwing in all valuable things. basket.

The corpses and the weapons lying next to them had long been taken away by the militiamen in the settlement, but there were still some things worth recycling left.

For example, some bullet casings dropped on the ground, or bullets embedded in the wall.

These orange-yellow metals are all good stuff. One pound can be exchanged for one or two beans. There are some businessmen near the port who are buying them.

At this time, someone suddenly picked up a leather belt with an ammunition bag hanging from under a pile of broken bricks. He immediately raised it over his head with joy and waved to the guard sitting not far away.

When the guard saw it, he yawned and stood up from his chair. He walked up to take the belt and looked through it for a while, then counted out a few bills and threw them to the man.

The scavenger bowed with a mocking smile.

"Thank you, Master!"

The guard waved his hand, didn't even bother to reply, took the leather belt and turned around to sit on the chair again.

Everyone cast envious glances at the lucky man and turned around to search even harder on the ruins.

Hearing that no barges had docked at the inland port for a long time, His Majesty ordered the downstream inland port to be blocked, and no more food would be shipped from the west.

Looking at the rising bean prices, many people have already smelled the smell of famine.

They must make preparations for a rainy day...

There were some scavengers in the distance who wanted to come in, but they were stopped by a group of strong young men.

Those young men were wearing short shirts and carrying sticks in their hands. They were thin but fierce and bared their teeth like hyenas on the grassland.

"Go away! This is our home!"

"You cockroaches!"

"Either give me money! Or go somewhere else!"

Those ragged scavengers were obviously no match for this group of guys. Some of them took out two Xilan coins and handed them to these young men. Some of them really couldn't afford the money or felt it wasn't worth it, so they cursed. Went somewhere else.

The decent people on the other side who had finished their prayers got up from the ground one after another and said goodbye for the last time to this land where they had lived for many years.

When leaving the ruins, people nodded and thanked the young men who were guarding the ruins with sticks, thanking them for not charging them a penny for the sake of neighborly friendship.

And when looking at a certain rat tribe boy, what was written in those eyes was nothing but reverence and gratitude.

They should be the ones lying there picking up trash and begging for work.

If they had listened to the werewolf villain named Vikram and asked for more from the iron men, they would probably have nothing but a pile of rotten bricks now, and they might have to pay for a few pieces of garbage and a group of people from other neighborhoods. The scavengers who wandered over started fighting.

Bathed in the admiring gazes of those pairs of people, Asin nodded gently towards them, but did not show too much enthusiasm.

He could probably feel that what was hidden behind those grateful eyes was not gratitude, but awe that they might not even realize, just like when they faced the gods.

It is difficult to be a great person, but it is not difficult to imitate a great being. He knows better than anyone else what virtue these guys are.

He just needs to keep a proper distance and dignity, and occasionally give some small favors, and they will praise his kindness and generosity.

This is so easy for him now, and it doesn't even cost money.

As a reward, when they return home, they will tell the children or younger brothers and sisters at home, asking them not only to be as careful as mice in the night, but also to learn from that good young man named Asin, like He is still a promising guy.

After that, he doesn't even need to ask, their children will find him on their own initiative, treat him like a real brother, and ask for a job that will help them get ahead.

These people have become his strongest base.

Maybe he should think of a name for his family.

Watching the neighbors leave, Asin withdrew his gaze from their backs, looked at his most loyal servant and said.

"Kunal, we won this war."

Kunal was slightly stunned.

"us?"

Isn't this a war between Iron Man and the Empire?

He couldn't remember when he went to war.

He spent those two days staying with his family, staying at Asin's request in the warehouse he bought in the port area.

Looking at Kunal who was puzzled, Asin nodded and spoke slowly.

"Yes, and not only did we win, but the survivors of the entire Golden Gallon Port won."

Kunal looked at him in confusion, confusion written in his eyes.

Knowing what he was confused about, Asin smiled lightly and said.

"Two weeks ago, could you believe that a rat tribe owner owned a two- to three-hundred-square-meter mansion on Tulip Street?"

The trace of high-spiritedness floating between his eyebrows was quite consistent with his age. After all, he was only a seventeen-year-old boy.

Kunal shook his head subconsciously, but soon came to his senses and realized that his boss was a member of the rat tribe, and quickly added carefully.

"I didn't mean to offend you..."

"I know," Asin didn't care, he just looked in the direction of the Governor's Mansion, narrowed his eyes, and continued, "Two weeks ago, there was no way that a poor guy from the rat tribe could be neighbors with the nobles there. I don’t have the qualifications for money, but at least I have money now.”

He didn't feel sorry for the damaged Golden Gallon Harbor at all. This place had never been his home, but belonged to His Majesty.

It would be better to smash this broken jar so that they can use their own hands to build a new home on this ruins.

That is their own.

As for those high-ranking nobles and those citizens who cry for their fathers and mothers after eating a few meals of dirt, just let them cry. Anyway, when he was hungry, they never gave him a coin, so he had no reason to sympathize with them.

But to be honest, when he saw those people's reactions, he was actually a little surprised.

Especially when he discovered that those who had lost the most not only did not cry, but even changed their minds faster than himself who had nothing, it almost overturned his original impression of those guys.

He thought about it, and it seemed that the only difference between himself and those people was education.

Those guys who wore clothes and ate white bread were all literate and had read a few books. He has everything now, except this matter that cannot keep up with them.

And this also made him determined to hire a teacher for his younger brother and sister, or simply send them to Shuguang City to study.

besides--

We must find them a sister-in-law who has studied!

However, Kunal did not fully understand what he said, or he only heard the word money.

Money is indeed a good thing.

I used to have a lot of face when I followed Vikram, but the most I could do was make those poor people bow their heads. The citizens wearing clothes would not look at him twice because of his identity as a wolf tribe member, and would only dislike him for doing so. Hanging out with a bunch of bad people, you even have to look down upon yourself.

But everything has changed now. Since he has money in his pocket, even the girls in skirts will look at him more, and even hold his hand and talk about poetry and dreams. The girl promised him that as long as he would buy her a ticket to Silver Moon Bay, she would do anything.

"Boss, you're right... we have to find a way to get more money," Kunal said in a muffled voice, "It's too slow to collect the management fees from those scavengers. We can't save coin by coin in our lifetime. Get off a boat."

Asin was stunned for a moment, not knowing why this idiot wanted to buy a boat, but he still agreed with the first half of his sentence.

They really need money.

And there are many, many...

"Kunal, my friend, of course we can't make a fortune from the scavengers' money, but don't underestimate the sale of these coins. Of course, there are people who value the money we don't value."

He pointed to the young men carrying sticks with his chin and continued.

"Not only do we need to get ahead, but they also need to be the pride of their families. We give them the power to collect management fees here, and they get dignity and money from us. When we need to deal with those guys who are not convenient for us to deal with, , they will take action for us.”

A hint of surprise appeared on Kunal's face, and something clicked in his mind, but he quickly continued to ask.

"What about us?"

"We are doing bigger business." Asin glanced at the ruins in front of him and narrowed his eyes slightly, "This is right next to the Governor's Mansion. If a building is built here, how much do you think it will be sold for?"

Kunal was stunned for a moment, not thinking about the money issue, but asked nervously.

"But what if the people from the empire come back?"

Moreover, this is the shooting buffer zone for the iron men. Those people paid them to move away. How could they be allowed to move back? !

Asin curled his lips.

"You mean the empire? Impossible. They have been frightened out of their wits. If they still plan to come back, they will not retreat so far. And even if they come back, the battlefield will not be here, but those outside the settlement. trenches.”

Regarding this matter, he had already consulted the adult called "family" yesterday.

Those iron men were not happy to see such a large piece of land abandoned, especially one so close to the port area.

They are completely different from the Governor. They seem not to see people living too hard a life. This may be related to the big-antlered deer god they believe in.

But no matter what they want to do or want, he will serve these masters well.

What's more, he is also optimistic about the potential of this land.

During this time, both the poor and the rich wanted to live closer to those iron men. If a house was built on these ruins, it would definitely sell for a lot of money.

It just so happened that he also had some capital on hand.

Therefore, when he proposed to contract this land, the adult named "Family" was just surprised, then patted him on the shoulder with a playful smile and agreed, only mentioning the land tax and transaction tax. .

But none of these things need to be worried about until the house is built, or even sold. There may be changes in the future, but at least for now their most urgent hope is to build the building as soon as possible, not how much it will cost.

Although that adult has a weird temperament, he is a good person.

Asin could feel that he was different from a rotten person like himself. He really wanted to do good things, and he even declined the kickback from his filial piety.

It was precisely because of this that he swore to that "family member" that he would live up to his expectations and cultivation of himself and handle this matter beautifully.

In order to allow smooth and safe construction on this land, it is first necessary to eliminate troubles such as dumb bombs or explosives that did not detonate.

So, he asked the young men who once lived on a street to spread the word that there were many treasures here that the strong men looked down upon.

Not only that, he also deliberately arranged for a few "sitters" to pick up some "treasures" hidden under the bricks from time to time, show them off in front of the scavengers, and exchange them for money from the guards.

The scavengers who were coaxed by the rumors turned into red-eyed vultures one by one, eager to dig up the ground.

These coolies who don't spend money or even give him money will lick this battlefield clean, leaving no trace of residue behind.

Then he can recruit people to work here.

"...Kunal, I have thought about it. Unity is very important, maybe even a little more important than the knowledge we don't have. The reason why the empire's lackeys are vulnerable is because they are not united enough. They have offended this settlement. We must not make the same mistakes as everyone on earth who can offend, whether they are knowledgeable or ignorant.”

That slightly young face had a maturity that belied his age, and Kunal suddenly felt that he was a little strange for a moment.

Looking at the servant who nodded blankly, Assin paused and continued.

"So I'm going to let the guys live together."

Kunal asked confused.

"Live together?"

Asin did not answer directly.

"For a long time to come, I'm afraid that only places close to those iron men will be safe, and a lot of dirty things will come out. Don't think that the ruins in front of you are only of interest to scavengers. When a large number of buildings are built there, the rich people in the city will rush here like them. I can bet with you that a brick here can buy all their clothes, even their brothers and sisters, children and grandchildren."

Kunar held his breath, as if he was shocked by this amazing fact, and it took him a long time to say a word.

"But... the iron men prohibit the human trafficking."

"Why are you as stupid as a pig? Did I say I wanted to do human trafficking?"

Axin kicked him in frustration, but seeing the servant's aggrieved look, he still hooked his shoulder and patted him.

"Listen, Kunar, you are the first person to stand by me. Although you are my servant to the outside world, I always treat you as a friend and a family member... I tell you so much not to show off how rich I will be in the future, but to tell you that you will also have the things here, and a whole building!"

"One, a whole building?!" Kunar was stunned and stuttered for a while.

"Yes, they can only get one house, but you can get a whole building," Asin pointed at the guys in the distance and patted Kunar's shoulder, who was breathing rapidly, "So you have to listen to everything I say. From now on, as long as they are the guys on the same street, they are our family. No matter what they did to me, you or others in the past, don't go to them to settle accounts, be polite to them, of course, don't be too nice. Only by winning over them and their relatives can we point our fists to the outside world and others will not dare to bully us."

Kunar swallowed his saliva hastily and nodded nervously. He wanted to shut up, but he couldn't help asking one more question.

"Okay, boss... Can I ask you another question?"

Axin let go of his shoulder and gave him a casual look.

"Ask it."

Kunar asked cautiously.

"What do you want to do..."

Hearing this, there was a rare moment of confusion in his fierce eyes, but it was only a moment.

He answered quickly.

"I haven't thought about it yet, maybe I will think about it later, at least now I just want to make money and protect my family."

He has no ambition to become an emperor. It is somewhat unrealistic for a rat tribe member to do this. Besides, he has obtained wealth that he can't imagine in his life. Both spiritual and material are satisfied.

His only thought now is to keep it.

But this is not easy.

For this, he needs the power to match it.

He knows very well that the reason why those iron men cooperate with him is not because of how strong he is or how rich he is, but those things happen to be what he doesn't have.

The real reason they choose him is because he can persuade some people to do things for them that they are not convenient to do themselves, or even inconvenient to say.

In order not to lose everything he has now, he must keep the snowball in his arms rolling, and he can only keep rolling.

If he doesn't want to be eaten as fat meat by other hyenas in the wasteland...

...

It's not just Asin who is confused about the future. Laxi, who just won a victory, is also confused.

Looking at the killing dagger that brought the ceasefire notice, he felt that his breath was stuck in his chest, blocking the flames in his stomach.

Unable to bear the ambition that burned his soul, he shouted at the iron man in the exoskeleton for the first time in a loud tone.

"Why do we need a ceasefire? The emperor's army is not vulnerable at all! With your help, we can completely enter Tiandu! At that time, the treasures, palaces, and everything there will be yours. We only want the blood of those people! Nothing else!"

As long as he cleansed those bastards with the blood of the Sun and Ox tribes, he can rebuild the dynasty of the Moon tribe!

He will become the new emperor and correct the mistakes of the past. When the liquidation is over, he will inject some alliance elements into the theory of thousands of tribes and thousands of gods, such as unity, equality and abolition, just like what the desert kings are doing.

The reincarnation that curses this land will end completely in his hands!

And the empire reborn from the ashes will be more stable and united than the one before!

To be honest, Killing Dagger doesn't particularly like this guy, although many people on the forum like this NPC.

This is normal. Even if they are all fun people, not everyone has the same fun points.

For example, Brother Mosquito wants to see explosions, Awei wants to give lovely girls a home, and the guy with debt eyes is the same, but the direction of force is different.

However, it is undeniable that compared to those slaves who only have a cavity of hot blood, he has something in him.

"Calm down."

Looking at this guy with a red face and thick neck, Killing Dagger didn't move his shoulders at all, but just said calmly.

"You should know whose help you got to defeat the Gray Wolf Army with such great force. We don't deny your contribution in the battle, but you have to recognize yourself. You and your men are no match for that Alayyang. It's as easy for them to kill you as it is for us to kill them." Laxi looked at him in astonishment.

"Aren't we friends?"

Knowing that the astonished expression was just a show of cunning, Murderous Dagger simply ignored it and continued speaking calmly.

"Yes, but they also have their own friends, just a little further to the west... Those big noses are even closer than us by boat. Do you understand what I mean? If the fight continues , it is a full-scale war. Not only do we have to spend hundreds of millions of silver coins, but we may also give more dangerous enemies an opportunity. Ask yourself, are you worth our money now? "

It's not just about money.

The attitude of the camp BOSS is more important than money. They must always consider whether their actions are in the overall interests of the alliance.

But there is no need to tell this guy this.

Realizing her rudeness from the sharp tone, Lacy took a deep breath and tried to control her excitement.

He didn't know what the greater threat was, but he wanted to try to make a last-ditch effort for the people on this land.

Looking at the instructor, he said sincerely.

"Please let me meet Mr. Fang Chang!"

Murderous Dagger said seriously.

"This is Fang Chang's idea, and of course it is also the result of our joint discussion."

Lacy was completely hopeless.

No--

It can't be considered despair.

It's just possible that the flame called ambition burning in my heart was extinguished a little by a basin of cold water.

He realized that it was unrealistic to rely on the power of outsiders to become emperor. No one would be so generous that he would risk everything for their own good.

And his own strength is too small to match his ambition.

perhaps--

He should be more practical, such as starting from a warlord or similar existence, and the throne can be gradually achieved.

His Adam's apple moved and he continued.

"What about those gray wolves? The ones that were captured. What do you plan to do with them?"

Murderous Dagger gave him a strange look, wondering why he suddenly asked this.

However, he was still satisfied that this guy did not continue to dwell on the previous issue, so he said in a gentle tone.

"We plan to let them build prisoner of war camps outside the city. Using labor to reform those who need to be reformed is our usual practice there."

Laxi was stunned for a moment and asked subconsciously.

"Why not put them in Camp Lowell? We can go and live in that camp for them!"

Killing Dagger stared blankly at this guy who suddenly lost his temper, and for a moment he couldn't figure out who was Killing Dagger.

"That's a prisoner of war camp, are you crazy?"

Lacy spread her arms and took two steps back, then clasped her hands together and begged.

"Please, I promised my men, I said I would put those beasts in a cage... at least let them feel what we have experienced and the anger of us slaves towards them!"

He needs to increase his prestige among his subordinates by humiliating those guys.

His request was not high, at least let them stay there for a few days!

Not knowing what this guy was carrying in his belly, Murderous Dagger seriously considered his request for a while.

Although he thought about telling these people that it was unreasonable to vent his anger on those compatriots who were also deceived and lame, he soon thought of what Fang Chang said to him before -

Some things are just too ahead of their time for them.

Thinking of this, Murderous Dagger spoke.

"This demand is reasonable. I will ask other people's opinions, but it can only delay it for a week at most. Our demand for those captives is not just punishment, but we also hope to use their labor force to rebuild the Golden Gallon Port. Construction is the current priority. One priority.”

Lacy was overjoyed when she heard this and said quickly.

"Thank you! It doesn't take that long, three days is enough!"

Murderous Dagger nodded.

"Wait for my news."

After saying that, he got into the armored off-road vehicle parked at the entrance of the camp and drove towards the port under the respectful watch of Lacy...