Chapter 238: The Serf General Who Raises Pigs
Klose did bring back an ironclad ship.
Facing the invasion of the Snake Cult, Klose gathered some of his fellow villagers to form a force of more than 300 people. They followed Count Guderian of Mettenheim to participate in the battle to defend their hometown, and they killed the invading Snake Cultists without much effort.
And that ironclad ship was the ship that Klose boarded during this battle.
In late September, Klose led his troops back to the continent of Pendor - he returned to the port of Dilin because he wanted to return the grain ships to Governor Kairos.
Ironclad ships are indeed not suitable for long-distance voyages, mainly because of their deep draft, heavy hull, and slow acceleration and turning.
It's fine for normal sailing, but it's not flexible enough when encountering stronger winds and waves, and you can basically just take it head-on.
Since the sails are higher and more numerous than those on ordinary ships, it will be slower to retract the sails, and it is easy to lose power due to broken masts when encountering strong winds.
At the same time, the ship's sides were relatively high and there were no openings in the ironclad hull, so it was impossible to use oars - if something really happened, it would just be a large floating object.
But if we are operating together with several ocean-going sailing ships, it won't be a big problem - if it really doesn't work, we can tow them away.
But Klose's luck has never been good. As soon as he arrived at Dilingang Port, his troops were trapped inside.
Because the Snake Cult just surrounded Dilingang at this time.
Originally they could still get out through the port, but the problem was that the Snake Cult seemed to have a fleet coming here looking for food...
As a result, the huge ironclad ship was stuck inside.
But fortunately, the ironclad ships were blocking the port. If it weren't for the strong men of Mettenheim who helped defend the city, the Imperial Port might have been captured...
That fleet was a bit strange. They had been hovering near the coast but had not attacked the port. It seemed as if they were waiting to see the Snake Worshipers on land and the defenders of Dilingang suffer heavy losses before coming to take advantage.
In order to save the ironclad ship and to see the overlord alive, the tough men of Mettenheim naturally did not break out by force, but helped Dilingang to block the attack of the Snake Worshipers.
In fact, this ironclad ship was a local specialty given to Leon by the people of Mettenheim. Even the emblems on the bow and sails were griffins - this was a gift from Count Guderian to express his gratitude to Leon.
Moreover, this is a state gift.
Frederick's statement as a diplomatic envoy was recognized by Count Guderian, who now regarded Leon as an equal monarch on behalf of Mettenheim.
After all, Leon helped the Mettenheim people get the most suitable grain seeds, and also sent them the experts in agriculture and water conservancy that they needed most. The Mettenheim people believed in repaying favors.
Of course, revenge must be taken.
After the Snake Cult army in Imperial Harbor gave up the siege and headed north, the Mettenheim warriors planned to take revenge - they planned to kill the fleet that had kept them stuck in Imperial Harbor for several months.
Without enemies attacking from land, the entire Dilingang force was freed up, and they joined forces with the Mettenheim people to rush towards the port.
The group of guys who were fishing ran away immediately when they saw that the situation was not right.
The people of Mettenheim boarded the ironclad and rushed out of the port in pursuit, but the strange group of guys had already run a long way west, and the ironclad was too slow to catch up.
Afterwards, Klose and his men chased the fleet all the way westward, but the ship encountered a strong wind halfway and lost track of the enemy.
In order to prevent any problems with the ironclad ship, they retreated , parked the ship at Dilingang Port, and then chased after them by land - because the people at Dilingang Port told them that there was only an abandoned fishing port, Serindir, in the west where they could park the ship, and the people of the Snake Cult must have fled here.
"But I don't think those guys are these undead ghosts... They were fishing before. These undead ghosts probably don't eat fish."
Klose looked at the soldiers who were searching for the stranded ships and shook his head: "We didn't expect you to be here."
"Wait a minute... that fleet is fishing in Dilin Port?"
Li Ang frowned and waved to the former Snake Cult priestess not far away: "Alyssa! Come here... Can the Snake Cult eat fish?"
"Hiss, Commander... The teachings of the Snake Cult do not allow eating meat. Fish is also meat, so we don't eat it. Otherwise, the goddess will punish us...hiss... But there are really few types of vegetables on the continent of Pendor."
Alyssa confirmed that the Snake Cult was indeed vegetarian and complained about the food at Pendor.
"That's because they've never really been hungry. If they're really hungry, they'll eat anything... But since the Snake Cult hasn't fished much for over a hundred years, that means there should be more fish around the Amala continent. Why would these people come to Dilin Port to fish? And... since they've already broken the rules and eaten fish, why are they afraid of famine? They have boats and people, so it shouldn't be difficult for them to get some fish on the Amala continent!"
The Lord spread out his hands.
Yes, there are many residents in Dilin Port, and the nearby waters have been fished for a long time. The catch is definitely not as good as the port controlled by the Snake Cult on the Amala Continent where fishing has never happened.
Since you came here specifically to get food, even if you have to fish for a living because you couldn't get food, you shouldn't fish in Dilingang Port. Wouldn't it be better to come directly to Serindir?
There is no one here, and it was once the place with the richest fishery resources in the whole of Pande. Since those "snake worshippers" fled here, they should know this place.
"My Lord, you mean to say that they are not snake worshippers?"
Wendy understood everything nearby, and knew there must be something wrong with this group of people.
"It's not certain whether those people are snake worshippers, but they are definitely not from the Amara continent..."
The Lord turned to look at Klose: "Have you seen what those people look like?"
"No, in fact, we didn't have any direct battle with them. They seemed to be avoiding fighting... I also don't think they are snake worshippers."
Klose thought for a moment and added: "But their ship does look similar to those junky ships over there."
The ships stranded in the sea were from the Legion of Terror. They were indeed quite dilapidated, with even the sails being damaged in many places.
But this is a composite ship with oars and sails. The undead who don't get tired of rowing should be quite powerful. The presence or absence of a sail probably has little impact on the Legion of Dread.
"Sir, what should we do with these ships and horses? The ships are quite broken, and many parts are made of rotten wood. They are basically scrapped. And the horses... are disobedient and look terrible."
Jocelyn came over and interrupted the lord's reminiscing with his old subordinates.
Some of the underworld horses are still "alive", but after losing their masters, these horses are all wandering around on the beach. Through their black horse armor, you can see that their bodies are all rotten horse corpses.
It’s just possible that they were well-trained war horses in their lifetime and did not attack people at will.
Jocelyn did try to ride one, but then realized that it was pointless—the horses could not be driven because they did not respond to anything.
They cannot be controlled or led away, and they don't react even if you chop them with a knife - they obviously can't be used as mounts.
"Leave the wounded here, remove their horse armor, and then send them to where they should go... Don't worry about those broken ships. We don't have much time. We have to rush to Fidenne and gather in three hours!"
The lord waved his hand and told Jocelyn to do it quickly.
Justus looked at Klose and walked over.
"Klose... I have to thank you for helping to defend Dilingang..."
Justus was indeed very grateful, and he also had to thank this friendly force on behalf of Bucks, who was purely helping him.
"You're welcome, Governor. In fact, even without us, the general who raises pigs in Dilingang can probably hold on... Besides, we have received help from Dilingang, so it is our duty to help Dilingang."
Klose did not take credit for it. They used the ocean-going ship that Governor Kairos found from Dilingang to transport grain seeds back to the country. Although this was the result created by Leon, the people of Mettenheim, who had a clear distinction between gratitude and resentment, were also willing to help Dilingang.
But Justus was quite concerned about another sentence of Klose: "The general who raises pigs? Who is that?"
Based on Justus's understanding of the nobles in Imperial Port, no one could be called a general.
Kairos and his troops were not in Imperial Port for a long time. Justus actually wanted to know who defended the city - a general who could hold the city even when tens of thousands of Snake Cult troops were besieging it. Unless it was Agathon or Creon, Justus could not think of anyone else who had the ability and courage to do so.
"His name is Ivaylo. It seems he was once a serf... a pig farmer."
Klose scratched his head: "Well, of course, I think he should be considered a general now."
When an empire faces a life-and-death crisis, some unexpected heroes will always emerge.
There is such one in Dilingang.
This is a man who lives in an unknown village next to Dilingang Port. In the past, he was just an ignored serf who lived in a pigsty every day.
Before the Snake Cult's army attacked Dilingang, Ivaylo had been peacefully raising and slaughtering pigs to provide meat for his master's family.
In fact, his master was probably one of the kinder slave owners - even though Ivaylo would often come into contact with precious meat, he still didn't let him wear a collar.
Of course, this is mainly because Ivaylo has proven his character and loyalty with his honest attitude for many years - well, to put it another way, it's actually because everyone thinks Ivaylo is a fool.
In fact, this pig-farming boy has been the target of teasing since he was a child.
Both civilians and other serfs would have fun with him - he seemed to be born with thick skin and was not afraid of pain, so his reactions were usually slow and he didn't get angry very often.
Such strong but temperless serfs naturally do not need to be locked up.
If life continued like this, perhaps Ivaylo would continue raising pigs until he died.
However, everything changed after the Snake Cult's army arrived here.
His master, the local tribune, fled immediately after hearing the news.
While running away, he also stuffed the shoulder straps and a dagger that represented the identity of the tribune into Ivaylo's hands...
To be honest, Ivaylo certainly wanted to escape, but his master gave him a golden opportunity.
"Iva, Dilingang is recruiting militias. If you take a few militias to Dilingang as a tribune, you will be free and become a noble!"
These were the words of his master, the true tribune, as he departed.
It was obvious that his master was unwilling to participate in the battle, but also did not want to be regarded as a deserter by the Empire...
The tribunes were obliged to protect the local people, and fleeing without fighting was a typical act of desertion. Desertion was one of the most serious crimes in the Bacchus Empire, and if discovered by the consul, the end was usually to be reduced to slavery - and the consul of the Imperial City was Governor Kairos, who looked down on deserters the most.
So the tribune left Ivaylo there to make up the numbers, and he himself slipped away...
No one knew whether it was because of Ivaylo's slow reaction or because he longed for freedom, but he did bring a few serfs into Dilingang , became a member of the hastily formed Dilingang garrison, and became a small captain as a tribune.
Then, everything became a little magical...
No one expected that Di Lingang would face tens of thousands of Snake Worshipers.
After being besieged by the Snake Cult army for a week, the city's acting archon disappeared inexplicably.
Subsequently, the political officer and his successor died in battle, as did several lieutenants leading troops.
Most of the nobles in the city had already fled before the siege... and other small lords around Dilingang had basically all joined the Snake Cult.
By the end of September, Ivaylo was surprised to find that he, the team leader, had become the only person with the status of tribune among those guarding Dilingang!
Under normal circumstances, the tribune of a small village was just a minor official.
But now, all the militia forces guarding the city actually expressed that they were willing to follow his command!
There are no more nobles in the entire Dilingang!
It's really hard to explain talent. Ivaylo actually adapted to guarding the city with the militia every day in a very short period of time.
Perhaps it was the result of slaughtering pigs every day in the past, Ivaylo was quite calm when killing people, plus he was not very angry and was a little dull - all of this would only be called stupid and foolish on a pig-raising serf; but on a general leading an army, he would appear extremely calm and majestic!
So this serf quickly became the backbone of all the militia. As long as Ivaylo did not show fear, the militia seemed to have no fear at all.
Fortunately, the nobles fled in a hurry, and left behind a huge amount of food and supplies in Dilingang. Basically, they had everything they needed. As long as they had enough fighting spirit, they could hold on for a long time.
Moreover, Ivaylo was lucky enough to meet the troops brought by Klose.
The ironclad ships held off attacks from the port, and the tough people of Mettenheim helped him hold out in the toughest defensive battles.
Two months later, the offensive of the Snake Cult slowed down, and Ivaylo, through these few months of actual combat, really became a general capable of leading troops.
"A serf who raises pigs... actually guarded the most important gate for the empire, and all the nobles... Alas..."
Justus sighed deeply.
"Governor, you should have a better understanding of this in Boshi City... Most of the time, nobles can only cause trouble."
Li Ang shook his head: "The Bacchus Empire is actually not bad. At least the escaped tribune knew to find a serf to fill the number... at least he still fears the law."
Justus sighed again: "Perhaps, the reform needs to be deepened."
…
While the lord was encountering the python knights of the Legion of Terror, Emperor Marius was also going through a tough battle in the village of Ziza, which was only separated from Thrindir by a bay.
The situation he faced was even more difficult than that of the lord - Emperor Marius was facing Martis and two hundred horned viper vanguards.
Although their numbers were indeed small, the enemy's eliteness was far beyond that of the Python Knights.
Moreover, the number of troops brought by Emperor Marius was also small.
Unlike the decayed and withered undead like the Python Knight , the Horned Viper Vanguard does not look like an undead army at all.
All of them have skin as white as cream, and their red lips and chins revealed under the half-covered helmets are very attractive, and they all seem to be as beautiful as fairies.
Yes, they do.
These are two hundred women...
In other words, these are two hundred female elves.
Except for their scarlet eyes that revealed a hint of evil and weirdness, these horned viper pioneers looked no different from living people.
The same is true for Maltis.
They still possessed flexible and powerful martial arts, and their agile movements seemed completely unaffected.
If he hadn't known that they were indeed undead, Emperor Marius would have even thought that he was fighting against a group of particularly powerful living elves.
Perhaps only the powerful Noldor Twilight Knights have the combat power of the Horned Viper Vanguard... However, the entire Noldor tribe cannot even gather a hundred Twilight Knights.
But here, there are two hundred horned viper vanguards...
After a few encounters, almost all the imperial knights under Emperor Marius were killed or wounded.
Fortunately, Agathon saw the opportunity quickly and dragged Emperor Marius away, so they managed to escape.
The Imperial Knights fought desperately to hold off the enemy for a while; the Emperor's direct guards were indeed all loyal.
Perhaps Emperor Marius was lucky. After killing the soldiers who stayed behind to stop the enemy, Martis did not pursue them, but turned to look at the sea.
Emperor Marius and Agathon, who had already run far away, did not notice that several damaged warships on the sea were blown to the village of Qiza by the wind and waves.
Those who came down from the warship were not snake worshippers, but some burly men equipped with various equipments.
This looked like a group of Mettenheim people, but they all seemed to be unkempt.
After seeing Maltis, the big man with messy hair and beard in the lead was visibly stunned: "Priests of the Snake Cult? There are not many of them! Kill them !"
