Three Philosophical Questions for Travelers

Netway turned back into human form, and Haven asked her, "What is this? Magic?"

Razor said, "It is the power of the ghoul, my lord, and we both have the power of the ghoul."

Haiwen nodded. He didn't care about the power of fierce or demons, as long as it was easy to use.He asked Razor, "How is it better than Obsidian Fiend?"

Razor replied, "We're both over it."

"Very good!" Haiwen laughed, "I will do as you said tomorrow."

The smiling cat asked: "Then shall we bring the soldiers and horses from Xiawan?"

Fassnut said: "I don't think you need to bring it, just return it to them."

Haiwen thought for a while and said, "If we can capture Pinewood Fort without the soldiers from Shrimp Bay, Yawen will lose one bargaining chip when I negotiate with Yawen. I think it's okay. Let's try it on the first day The plan to try the razor, if it succeeds, you won't need those people."

So they went to attack Pinewood Castle the next day. With the help of razors, no matter how strong the fortress was, it would become as fragile as rotten papyrus.

King of beggars and slaves, VII

King of beggars and slaves, VII

So Haiwen issued a gauntlet to Pinewood Castle. The gauntlet stated very clearly that he asked the Viscount Pinewood Castle to hand over the castle and carry out the order of the little trident.As long as they surrender, then Haven won't hurt anyone.At this time, the Viscount could take away his family and half of his private property, and Haven would not pursue his previous "treason" crimes.

Treason, that is a very strange charge.Because now the Sea God Cult and the Little Trident are allies, but in name the Sea God Cult coalition forces are all traitors in the Gulf.So far, neither Little Trident nor Lan Chong have given a statement.Hai Wen deduced that according to this situation, there would be a final battle between the Sea God Cult and the Little Trident, and they would compete for the supremacy of the Sea God Cult.

The gauntlet was issued, but the Viscount of Pinewood Castle would definitely not just come out and accept the surrender.The other party was a polite old aristocrat, and he attached a reply letter, which said: "I have long known that you will come here, and now the gate of the castle is closed, there are a thousand soldiers in the city, five hundred crossbowmen, bows, arrows, rolling stones, etc. , countless hot oil, and a year’s worth of grain. The castle is here, and the Earl of Bear Mountain can come and get it himself if he has the skills.”

The smiling cat said that the viscount of Pinewood Castle was scaring people, and he didn't have time to prepare so many people and food.Haiwen wished that he had more food in the castle, so that he could seize more things after attacking the castle.

The time for the siege was chosen at ten o'clock in the morning.The spring is bright and beautiful, and it is a good time to welcome the victory.This time Haiwen only brought his own militia, and some people wondered why the friendly army didn't follow.In order to stabilize the morale of the army, Haiwen explained that they are a reserve team and will come out to support at the right time.

Haiwen couldn't pin all his hopes on one person. The original siege plan was kept as a preliminary plan. If Razor's plan failed, he would continue to use the soldiers of Xiawan.Cammorne is now tied up and locked up in a grove, and has someone to look after him, so he can't be expected to command the army, but Razor said that the girl named Knightway can change into the appearance of General Cammorne, and that's all right .He can mobilize the army.

After this matter is over, return the army to Xiawan as soon as possible, Haiwen thought to himself, this borrowed army is really hard to use.And it costs money and owes favors.

At this moment, more than 2000 militiamen are assembled at the main gate of Pinewood Castle, and the army is formed into four square formations, each of which contains dozens of ladders.The catapult is placed in the center, and it has been loaded with live ammunition.Razor and Netway are not in the army, Razor said they have a way to sneak into the castle, and asked Haven to call out with confidence.

Wearing the old king's battle robe and riding a white horse, Haiwen first walked around in front of his army to boost morale.The militiamen all shouted long live, some called the liberator, some called the beggar king, and some called long live the old king.

The black iron shirt of the old king is very deterrent, especially to the nobles on the city wall.

When Hai Wen walked towards the city gate wearing that dress, the people above immediately shouted: "Ambside, why do you call yourself the old king?"

When Haiwen looked up, he saw an old man in a wheelchair.It was Viscount Lauren Schild, with a stooped body, a yellow complexion, and sunken eyes.This is a dying old man, just like this rotten country.

Around him were many archers, and rows of soldiers with spears.The smiling cat glanced at it and said, "My lord, this old man is indeed bragging. I'm afraid there aren't that many soldiers in the castle. He has militiamen inside."

Haiwen nodded, and immediately said loudly: "Why? I have the king's will, and the person who gets the black iron shirt should inherit his will, liberate the people, and recover the Gulf! I will now use the name of the king , regain every inch of the Gulf land!"

The old man laughed and said, "Isn't the land I occupy the land of the Gulf? Can you take it back? I am a vassal of Grand Duke Kahn."

Haven said loudly: "The Kahn family betrayed the old king and bowed their heads to the northern border. I am now warning you in the name of the old king! The people of the Gulf will take back his sacred land, Lauren Schelde, you and Sea God Teach the rebels to join forces, I think you are old and mentally weak, I will give you a chance. If you surrender now, you can make atonement."

"Fuck you!" The old man's voice trembled angrily, "Fuck you, fuck you! Where did this mad dog dare to claim to be the former king? When you wear the robes of the former king, you really think you are the incarnation of the former king." ? Do you have a castle? Do you have people? Do you have a sea king scepter? Do you have..." He coughed heavily, "Do you have a dragon? Huh?"

The sea king's scepter and the dragon are both symbols of the former king.The old king of the baylands had a staff that could call sea spirits, and he once used this staff to summon storms.He also once sent his nephew Arthur Carn to find allies, but Arthur returned with a dragon and burned the northerners to the ground.This incident is a legend that everyone knows.

So when the old man questioned Haiwen with this matter, Haiwen couldn't find anything to refute.He could only say: "Although I don't have a real dragon and a scepter now, I have people who support me. I don't need external force to break through your city gate!"

The old man laughed loudly and said, "It's up to you? You attack one and I'll see?"

Then the city gate exploded with a bang.

This may be the most humorous scene in the history of the Gulf War. Hai Wen stared at the door dumbfounded, and saw Natway and Razor standing on both sides of the door.Through the scarlet mist, they could vaguely see that there were several corpses under their feet.

On the city wall and under the city gate, the generals of the two armies were all dumbfounded.No one spoke for a long time.It wasn't until the razor in the city gate made a "please" gesture that Smiley Cat and Haiwen came back to their senses, and they shouted in unison: "Follow me!"

The battle horn sounded, and the militiamen chanted "Long live the late king" and swarmed into the city gate.

The heavy soldiers of Pinewood Castle are probably all on the city wall. No one would have thought that the city gate would be blown up so inexplicably, so there are not many soldiers below.Even a few defenders were wiped out by the razor.Moreover, the sudden explosion of the city gate was enough to cause the morale of the defenders to collapse, not to mention the army, even Lord Childe was frightened.Haiwen rushed in and shouted: "The surrender will not be killed!" Those people surrendered one after another.

The battle only lasted for more than half an hour. According to the statistics of casualties afterwards, only 36 people were killed on both sides, and [-] people were injured in total.

Standing in Pinewood Castle, Haiwen couldn't help but think: the former king had a giant dragon to assist him in the battle, and conquered the city for him; I had Fasnat to help me, and I built a castle in one meal.From this point of view, this guy is about the same as a dragon.

The Beggar and the Slave King, VIII

The Beggar and the Slave King, VIII

After capturing the castle, Haven first arranged for the prisoners of war.These people were temporarily imprisoned by him, and will be kept for inclusion in the future.There is also a noble family in the castle, with his three wives and two sons.Haven put these people under house arrest on the top floor of the castle.

The discipline of the militia was worrying. They would shout and kill when they entered the castle, and they wanted to move anything valuable.Haven immediately summoned everyone, and he publicly punished those who destroyed the castle and embezzled property.He pulled these people in front of others to criticize, saying: "I said before this, we are not thugs! Burning, killing, looting is absolutely prohibited, and you violated it, so deal with it lightly, and if you catch it next time, you will be dealt with by military law. !"

Haven banned them from participating in the next battle, asked them to clean up, and specially prepared thought lessons for them.Haven believes that this kind of differential treatment is more effective than corporal punishment, and it can stimulate their shame and make them remember it.

Haven handed over the follow-up matters to Myrick and others, and he will go to Pine Forest Town next.

Haven learned that the nobles of Pinewood Castle described him as a thug who committed all kinds of crimes, so as to incite public opinion against him.Haven must explain all this to the people.Most of the wealthy people in the small town fled, leaving empty houses one after another.Those who remained were the poor.These people either hid in houses or fled to the countryside outside the city, and many others were captured.

Haiwen decided to learn about the situation from these strong men.They were the militia forced into war, most strongly against the nobility.So Haiwen found them out from the prisoners of war and divided them into two large rooms.Afterwards, Haven prepared hot soup and bread for them to fill them up.After the meal, they were given some bedding and allowed to live here.

These captives never thought that they would be treated so favorably. For a while, people were surprised and panicked. Everyone didn't know what this new "beggar king" wanted to do.It was not until night that Hai Wen found them and explained his intentions.

"I want to know about the situation in Lower Pinewood Castle." Haven said to them, "What did the Viscount do to you before I came? What did he take from you? Tell me. Don't worry, you haven't committed a crime at all." , you are just victims of the war. Now I want to understand all this and save you from this disaster."

So Haiwen easily let these people speak. They told Haiwen: In order to prepare for this "Northern Sea War", the Viscount extorted money and took a large number of men to serve as soldiers.Those who could escape had already fled to the Reach or the South. They were almost the last group of men.And in response to Haven's siege, the Viscount stuffed all the rations of the civilians into the castle in a robber-like way, without paying any money, leaving only a handwritten IOU without a seal or signature.

It seems that there is a year of food in Pinewood Castle, which is true, Hai Wen thought to himself, but I can't accept all the food that I ordered.

Haven said to them: "You will take off your military uniform and go home. The homeless will live here first. From today onwards, you will be free again. As for the property you donated to Pinewood Castle, I will return it all to you." you."

The prisoners couldn't believe it, and someone asked in a low voice: "My lord, you mean...you don't kill us, but you want to set us free?" Come back?" Hai Wen nodded to them and said, "Return them all."

People cheered loudly, embraced and cried.A few men came to kowtow to Hai Wen who was "dong dong dong", and his forehead was covered with blood; an old man fainted from excitement; many young people shouted: "My lord, I won't leave, I want to join Your army!"

Hai Wen calmed their emotions and told them: "Now you go home to report that you are safe, and then take the IOU to pick up the things. If anyone asks about this, you can say: The king of wild horses is here, he He is the heir of the former king, and he wants to save the poor and slaves." Haiwen didn't want them to spread too complicated information, the simpler it is, the easier it is to spread among the low-level people.

These hundreds of prisoners of war have been dealt with, and at the same time, with them going to the public for publicity, the rumor that "the king of wild horses is a thug" can gradually disappear.

Haven found the butler of Pinewood Castle and asked him about the "donation".Afterwards, Haven learned that there was a list in Pinewood Castle, and he could find it with a single search.He handed over the follow-up repayment of donations to Darrow, and as for the original housekeeper of Pinewood Castle, he gave Dallow to help him.

The war has turned the town into a mess, the minor nobles and property knights have fled Pinewood Town one after another, and even the rich merchants have disappeared without a trace.Haiwen wanted to bleed some of these people, but he couldn't catch them now.Next, he needs to pay the soldiers, buy food and grass, and resume production...all of which require money.It's not realistic to ask Xiawan to borrow money, and you can't get it in a short time to make money by yourself. This matter is really difficult.

The next day, Haiwen began to return the taxes and food that had been collected before. At the same time, Haiwen assigned tasks to each "captive" who got back their property, asking them to go to various villages outside to inform them that the war was over. , Those who want to flee will return to the city.The "captives" of Pinewood Castle were very enthusiastic, and as soon as Hai Wen said that, they immediately went out to handle errands.

Haiwen thought to himself: Ring the bell later, give a speech to the whole town, and then post some notices.The original officials in the castle can't be used directly, I have to investigate and say, so I have to recruit more people.In the past, all the civil servants were from Tang Deen, but now that Tang Deen is dead, most of his students have stayed in Xiongshan Mountain, so I don’t have enough people left.

Oh, and I still need to raise money.Later, I put on my robe and went to the Reach to see if I could make the nobles there bleed a little.

After this side stabilizes, we will start to counterattack Xiongshan, Haiwen thought to himself.When he called back Brian the Bear, no one knew the city of Bear Mountain better than him, so he called the veteran of Bear Mountain to attack Bear Mountain.At that time, Bayland, Pinewood Castle, Shrimp Cove, and Mustang Land will be linked together to form a strong alliance.The war between the Little Trident and the North will not end for a while, and I have plenty of time to regroup.

While Hai Wen was thinking like this, the voice of the smiling cat suddenly came from outside. "My lord, I have something to ask you."

Haiwen turned his head, "You said?"

"That old man at Shrimp Bay, Cammorn, what are you going to do with it?"

Oh, I almost forgot about him.

king of beggars and slaves, ix

king of beggars and slaves, ix

Haiwen thought for a while and said, "Then let's pick him up first, just in time for him to visit the castle."

Master Cat smiled and said, "Good sir! Then I'll go invite him."

Smiley Cat is very efficient and brought the old man back in the afternoon.

Haiwen was a little annoyed by this matter, because after all, the old man was given to him by Xiawan, and he had torn his face with others, and it would be difficult to explain it to Yawen in the future.He thought to himself: If Cammorn comes, I still have to treat him with courtesy, at least I have to give him an apology.It was a misunderstanding that Fasnat didn't know your identity at the time.If he is sensible, this matter will be over. If he is not willing to let go, then I will be tough.

Haiwen was waiting to entertain him in the living room of the castle. According to the rules, he prepared bread and salt in advance as decorations.He also prepared wine for him to drink.Haven sat upright on the chair, waiting for Cammorn to arrive.

At this time, someone announced: "Commander, General Cammorn is here!"

"Come in," said Haven.

Then the smiling cat walked in with the old man.As soon as Haiwen entered the door, before Haiwen could see his face clearly, the old man immediately bowed at a right angle and said, "On behalf of Xiawan, I congratulate the king of wild horses on his victory!"

ah?Hai Wen was stunned, he thought to himself: Shouldn't this old man be very stubborn and proud?What's wrong?

Cammorn raised his head with a smile on his face.Haiwen was stunned seeing his kind expression, "General." Haiwen asked in a low voice, "You are..."

Before he finished speaking, the old man laughed loudly and said: "The king of wild horses broke through the city in half a day, and the soldiers were bloodless. The enemy was frightened by the news, and the majesty surpassed the previous king! It is my life's honor to be able to work with you, an old man!"

Hai Wen glared at Smiley Cat, and saw that the guy was blushing from a suppressed smile.It was only at this moment that Haiwen realized that the old man was a bully.

It was an incredible thing to be able to take Pinewood Castle with two thousand militiamen, and Smiley Cat must have told him so emphatically that Cammorn was frightened.

He also watches people order menus, Hai Wen thought to himself, it can be seen that we are stubborn and dare not cause trouble.

That being the case, there is no need for Haiwen to do the "salt bread" set with him.He changed to a more comfortable sitting position and said: "General Cammon, there was a misunderstanding between us earlier, and my people acted a little barbarously. I apologize to you. But this matter is out of tactical needs, and you Put it down and lock it up, this is a part of tactics, I hope you will understand and understand."

"I understand, I understand!" Cammorn said quickly, "My lord, you are very resourceful, and you naturally have your reasons for doing things. I am an old man who is about to die, so of course I can't understand it."

With his attitude, Hai Wen was too embarrassed to turn against him again.The king of wild horses was stunned for a few seconds, and said, "Then General Cammorn, it seems that our... alliance is very happy this time?"

"Of course it's fun!" The old man still had bruises on his face when he said this, "I've never been so happy!"

Hai Wen said: "In that case, then you should take two thousand soldiers and station outside the city, and I will send someone to look for you later."

The old man froze for a moment and asked, "Are there nothing I can do now?"

Haiwen stared at him and said, "Do you want to continue doing things for me?"

"Of course!" Cammorn said with a smile, "We are allies, of course I can help."

Haiwen thought to himself: Probably Yawen asked him to make a contribution, such as capturing the castle, knocking down the city gate, or capturing the Viscount alive.Because of this, the old man was so negative at the beginning, he wanted to consume my strength, and then let him go to attack the city.In this way, when rewarding meritorious deeds, Xiawan can take a lot of benefits.

But now the old man didn't do anything, let the razor take an elbow and went back in despair, there is no way to explain it.

Then I'll find something for them to do.

"You ask your people to unload the weapons and armor and store them in the castle. Then I will send you dung forks, hoes and sickles, and you take people to reclaim the wasteland north of Pinewood Castle and farm for me."

"Ha!" The smiling cat clapped excitedly from behind.But the old man's face was very ugly, he said: "My lord, you can punish my arrogance, but you can't insult me!"

Hai Wen asked, "How did I insult you?"

"You..." the old man gritted his teeth angrily, "You let us do what slaves do, no one would want to do it! I have noble soldiers among my people and many knights, you can't let noble knights farm the land! "

"What's wrong with farming?" Haiwen slapped the table, "There are no peasants to farm for you, and the knights and nobles you brought?" Haiwen waved his hands and said, "Go as you like, if you don't want to pull it down! You don't listen to me It’s useless to borrow these 2000 people.”

The old man was so choked that he couldn't speak, and the atmosphere froze.At this time, the smiling cat laughed a few times and said, "General Cammorn, there is no shame in farming—have you read the art of war of General Snoth in the period of the former king?"

The old man rolled his eyes and said, "I turned it over."

The smiling cat smiled and said, "Then you must remember what was said in the Grain Article."

Cammorn pondered a little, and said, "I'm old, so I probably can't remember."

The smiling cat said: "Then let me remind you that the army's farming is the top priority in preparing food and grass. It is said that it is necessary to take advantage of the spring to farm and harvest in the autumn. The soldiers will have their own fields, and the common people will also benefit. The king once ordered himself The [-] soldiers in the army are garrisoning fields in Beihai to prepare for military pay. You see, the soldiers of the former kings have to garrison fields, so why can’t we garrison them?”

Hearing this, the old man relaxed, and said, "It's not impossible, but the Earl of Xiawan ordered me to fight for you, but he didn't say that he wanted to farm. I am loyal to the Earl, and I dare not act rashly without her order."

Didn't you say before that "no one can order me but the old earl"?How did this bring the Countess out again?This capricious guy.

Haiwen became a little impatient, and he simply said: "Targeting is also part of my strategy! When the time comes, you, the Countess and Yawen will ask you, and you will tell them so."

"Then... that's fine!" After saying this, the old man changed his face again, and he said in an impassioned tone: "The king of wild horses inherits the will of the previous kings in the Gulf, so since the previous kings wanted to farm, we should also farm. This is a glorious mission, and only knights can do it, so I ask for orders to open up wasteland for you!"

I have never seen such a shameless person, Hai Wen thought to himself. "Well, there are thousands of acres of wasteland in the southeast of Pinewood Castle that can be cultivated. You can take people there. There are a batch of agricultural tools in the castle. I will buy some later. If it is not enough, you have to make agricultural tools yourself. Wooden hoes and stone hoes , although crude, but better than nothing."

"This... we don't know how to make farm tools."

Haven said, "I'll send craftsmen to teach you—and I know you don't know how to farm, so I'll send you three more this time. Listen."

"Okay, my lord, tell me."

Haiwen stretched out a finger and said, "The first one is a farmer, and he is responsible for teaching you how to farm." Then he raised his second finger, "The second one is a craftsman, and he will teach you how to make tools." Finally he Raised the third finger, "The third person is a teacher, in charge of supervision and thought classes - I will transfer these three people from Mustang Town, you go and take people to work first, and let them find you later."

"Yes, my lord, I listen to you!"

So Cammorn and the friendly forces at Shrimp Bay made arrangements like this. After the old man went out, Haiwen asked the smiling cat: "General Snoth's art of war? What book is that? I haven't read it yet. If it is a good art of war , I want to read it."

Smiley Cat laughed immediately, and said, "Shit! How can there be such General Snoth? I made it up to lie to him!" After saying this, the two laughed loudly.