The sea is foggy.
The outlines of the masts gradually emerged in the fog, and the first ship approached the reef, followed by three ships out of the darkness.
anchor.
The boat stopped some distance from the coast, with no plans to land. Charles with a professorial temperament appeared at the bow, and with him was a witch with a pointed hat with a crow on her shoulder.
"Is this distance enough?"
Charles asked the witch.
After being "pardoned" by the king, the hell that had brought their curse upon them made the ship a new ship for the pirates of the Walway. Charles took a group of the elite of the Walway pirates and crossed the Abyss Channel on a ghost ship that roamed on the sea to explore for the king.
They sailed only at night in order to avoid detection by Blasey and the ships of the Holy Court. After reaching the east side of the Abyss Strait, continue to move southeast, bypass the Gulf of Nogenia, and venture into the hopeless inner sea where the Holy See has a lot of influence.
At this time, they were in the waters of the Kingdom of Upper El, which was the junction of the continents.
According to the witch's calculations during this period, if the Black Death really broke out, this place in the east would be its source.
The sea breeze blew the witch's hood, and under the hood was a face with deep facial features, dark purple eyes swept across the end, and the skin was abnormally pale. The witch put on a pair of thick glasses, looked at the city looming in her field of vision for a moment, and nodded.
"let's start."
Charles had a hunch in his heart.
The place they chose was more secluded, and they could see the blurry scene beyond the port—the place was silent, the ships were moored, and there was no movement on the pier, like a deep sleep.
The witch raised her hand.
The crow fluttered and flew.
Her dark green pupils dilated slightly, connecting the crow's eyes with her own.
The sea breeze was blowing, and the crow circled twice in the sky, determined the direction and flew towards the city of Freunya.
The city was dead silent, the church bell did not ring, and there was absolutely no noise that a city should have. Looking down from the sky, I saw scattered figures staggering towards the mountains. Some people ran and fell to the ground and couldn't get up.
The crow lowered its flight height.
Dark red eyes imprinted a cemetery not far from the city—if it could be called a cemetery—with many trenches dug in the wilderness, in which hundreds of corpses were piled like cargo, some of which were thinly covered. Layers of soil, but more corpses are directly exposed to the air.
There were also mortuaries lying beside them, before the bodies could be unloaded.
Because the corpse mover didn't have time to finish his work, he died next to him.
Crows fly into the city.
The doors and windows of many houses were left open, and the owners and guests of the houses were either dead or had just died, and the bodies were not carried. A few corpses were lying down on the street. Occasionally a few hermit priests of Frunia, dressed in dark robes and with crutches, tended to the terrible dying patients.
The patient moaned in pain.
Some of them were covered with lumps as big as eggs, others were covered with dense small carbuncles, and the patients were crying weakly and spitting out black blood. The monks, nuns and doctors in charge of caring for the sick all looked bleak.
Some people begged passersby to help bury the body.
The crow flew lower, listening to what those people were saying.
"Help us take the corpse to the grave!" they almost cried. "If we die, someone will carry it!"[1]
The crow circled and landed on the window of the newly deceased patient's house. It tilted its head slightly. In the dimly lit room, a woman had just died. Gas spewed out of her mouth along with black blood.
The crow flapped its wings and took off again.
Just after flying a little, the crow suddenly fell straight from the air.
It also died.
…
on board.
The witch's pupils suddenly regained clarity.
"How about it?"
Charles asked immediately.
"The city is dead." The witch replied succinctly.
A huge haze shrouded, Charles stared at the dead city not far away, and sighed for a long time.
"Return."
He ordered.
Led by the ship of hell, the three ghost ships quietly retreated into the fog as they came. And when they drove out a distance, they found a merchant ship with the logo of a certain chamber of commerce in front of them.
The merchant ship sailed out of the plague-ridden city port, struggling to escape.
"Charles." The witch stared at the ship with thick glasses. "The ship was infected with the plague."
Charles frowned slightly: "All?"
"Some people are still alive, very few, they won't survive," the witch stated.
Something cold and terrifying emerges in the succinct words.
"Give it a ride."
Charles, the elegant pirate first mate, was silent for a moment before making a decision.
No one objected.
The catapult obtained from the Five-Port Alliance was set up on the ship, and the boulder roared and smashed into the desperate ship. The merchant ship was not big, and the sailors on board were dying. Hell kept the ship and ghost ship some distance away from them, but still sank it with ease.
The ship infected by the plague sank, and the sick people, the corpses, and those who were still alive and trying to struggle were swallowed by the sea.
Charles and the witch stood on the bow, watching the scene in silence.
Their hearts also sank slowly.
Black Death.
The great plague, the great calamity, has come.
…
“… The plague appeared in the eastern cities of the hopeless inland sea. When we arrived, there were already places that had become dead cities due to the plague. At present, the plague has not spread rapidly outward, because the first places were not connected to the outside world. Frequent, but soon.
We sank several infected ships on our way back, and we couldn't do more to avoid a chase.
…
The plague is spreading, and once it reaches the confluence of the Hopeless Inner Sea and the Abyssal Strait, it will be the moment of a major outbreak. ...Gerrera has figured out what the prophesied 'shoal of fish' refers to - death spreading outward from the Hopeless Inner Sea.
Your Majesty, God bless Legrand.
…
"
The king had finished reading the letter that Charles had quickly sent back from the sea by special means.
Charles had done his best to write the letter as calmly as possible, but in his tone there was still the grief of the Black Death - it was a disaster.
The king pressed his forehead lightly, and his head began to ache again, perhaps because Charles's too gloomy tone infected him.
Although the king has tried his best to think about what a black death means, there are some things that can only be seen when you face it in person.
"What are you worried about? My dear sire."
The devil's brisk voice sounded, and the black mist flowed in the room. The devil wearing a black dress with a red rose on the front came out of the shadows.
"I feel your dissatisfaction with me... Did I make you unhappy?"
He put his hand on his chest and bowed to the king.
"The Black Death has appeared." The king's eyes were still on the letter paper in his hand, "Don't you have any explanation for this? Mr. Devil who is full of lies."
"My dear majesty, you can't blame a knight who has done his duty for you so much." The devil was very calm, he smiled, "I have never deceived you, you see, wait until the Black Death is completely in Legrand. Isn't the outbreak in January?"
"You're a very good language artist, Mr. Devil."
"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty?"
"So the solution you say is to wait until the plague breaks out in Legrand before it can be solved, right?" The king changed his words, skipping the question about the time of the outbreak of the Black Death, and went straight to the point.
"Yeah..." The pierced devil spread his hands helplessly, "Why are you so keen."
"You are the poster child of hell, should I put countless question marks on everything you say? Should I invite my ex-Master Templar again?" asked the king softly, "You are so The Knights are truly the No. 1 Hell Knights."
"This is for your benefit, Your Majesty."
The devil slightly restrained his smile.
"The credibility of your statement is probably less than a penny."
"You're blaming me wrong." The devil's smile faded, and he stepped forward to the king, "Aren't you going to block the customs? But don't you think that those selfish people - those short-sighted ants will Thank you?"
He let out a gloomy laugh, with undisguised sarcasm in his laugh.
"Ah, my dear majesty, you are willing to save their lives, but look, they will not appreciate your greatness... What will they say? We went bankrupt, made us destitute, and he forced us to starve to death!"
"Let me think what else, how many saints - ah! saints! - will jump out and accuse you of your cold-bloodedness when you keep all the ships out of the way! . . . You keep the plague out for them, but as long as They don't have to be grateful to you for not seeing those deaths in person, staying in the warm safety line from start to finish."
His voice was not as frivolous as it used to be, but instead was extremely mocking.
There seemed to be some deep hatred lurking beneath his mockery.
"It's rare, are you resentful?" The king caught the hatred for something hidden in the devil's words, but he couldn't figure out where it came from, "This is not your usual image. match."
"Your Majesty, is there any inconsistency?" the devil said softly, and he knelt down in front of the king, "I'll do anything you want for you... Who is more loyal than me? What about you?"
No mercy, no bottom line, no right or wrong, no reason...
Who but the devil can serve you so madly
Something flows in the air, carrying the surging secrets under the undercurrent.
The king and the devil looked at each other, and the devil had a mask-like smile on his face.
"So, I have to praise you for your hard work?"
The king frowned and looked away.
"If you want." The cold hatred in the words just now seemed to be just an illusion, the devil's tone became light again, and he smiled, "Look, I have thought about this for you... Anyway, everything has to do with you. The hostile nations were plagued by the Black Death."
"Everyone is dying, so wouldn't it be better for you to let the Black Death break out a little in the southeast?"
The devil tried his best to convince his majesty.
"It only needs to break out for a while, not only to avoid the jealousy of other countries caused by Legrand's special appearance, but also to make the next thing you want to do more smoothly, isn't it good?"
"What do I want to do next?"
The king asked back.
"Don't you want to take your authority back from those stupid nobles?" The devil laughed, his voice earnest, "Look, waiting for the Black Death to take away some people, the power of the tenant serfs dominated by the manor owners will be even greater. Great, you can make the old manor manor disappear from the Legrand stage with such a slight push."
"Without the foundation of the manor, what do they use to trouble you?"
"You're so smart, you don't understand the changes brought about by the reduction of manpower, right? How naturally and easily you can promote the emergence of new production systems, your ideas... How many times easier can you want big factories and steam cannons than now? to appear in Legrand."
"The old chamber of commerce in the southeast has completely died, but your free chamber of commerce can be re-established and become a chamber of commerce that completely controls the port. All ships will only fly the flag of you, and your will is the direction of the ship. If you If you want, I am also willing to open up services for your new route."
"At that time, from the Hopeless Inner Sea to the Abyss Strait, only your ship will weave a net."
"You see, all this is the benefit that this plague has brought you, and you just need to act like you don't know anything, let it break out on the ground for a few days, and then let me solve it for you ."
"Isn't that the most advantageous option?"
The devil is the best persuader in the world.
He sketched the shadow of the grand cause, peeped at what the people's heart wanted to achieve, and put all the interests that moved people's hearts on the table one by one.
The king clearly understood one thing.
Regarding the outbreak of the Black Death, these transformations after the mass death of the population, these… benefits, the devil is not lying, it is.
"Hell is willing to serve your empire, my dear majesty."
The devil smiled.
"I do not need."
The king lowered his eyes and said slowly.
The smile on the devil's face disappeared.
The king's icy blue eyes looked at him.
The devil was distressed and sighed long: "Why should you choose a thankless road of infamy? My dear majesty."
"Because, I don't need it."
"You are so proud, the people of Legrand should be glad that they have a king like you." The devil stood up in compromise, and he bent slightly, "Well then... as you wish, the Black Death will not be here. Legrand erupted."
…
General Sheehan is about to arrive at Kothsoia with the first Iron Rose cavalry.
He was terribly silent all the way, even a little absent-minded.
The squire followed him, not knowing what he was thinking, he could only remind him of "arrive" when Kossoya appeared in front of him.
General Sheehan raised his head and looked at the city that appeared in front of him with a complicated expression.
Only a few people know the real purpose of this troop transfer, and General Sheehan is one of them.
Before departure, the Duke of Buckingham met with him and told him the real purpose of the trip - he must assist in the blockade of the city, and all those who hinder the blockade of the sea will be executed uniformly regardless of their status and reasons.
"I know that justice is above all else in your heart."
In the cold wind of winter, the Duke of Buckingham sat face to face with him.
He respected the old man who had guarded Legrand for many years, so he remained silent.
"Block the harbour and kill everyone who opposes, and many of those who oppose are innocent. They never stole, they never murdered or robbed, they obeyed the law, they just kept their wares from rotting on ships, In order not to let his wife and children starve to death."
said the Duke of Buckingham lightly, his voice low.
General Sheehan did not answer.
"I once told His Majesty that you are too idealistic." The Duke of Buckingham sighed. "You think knights are for guarding rather than killing, for justice, not for crime, don't you?"
"If the person who wears armor and holds a sword does not protect the weak, what qualifications does he have to be called a knight?" General Sheen finally said, "Isn't this the oath we swore to keep when we were canonized as knights?"
"Your Majesty's assessment of you is not wrong at all."
The Duke of Buckingham smiled faintly.
"What do you think of my brother William?"
General Sheehan replied solemnly: "He is the hero of Legrand, a promising and great king."
In his view, it was William III who unified the thirty-six states and ended the chaos of endless conquests.
"Hero? Promising? Great?" the Duke of Buckingham read. "Promising is good, but hero? Great? That's not a word that can be used to describe a king."
General Sheehan looked at the Duke of Buckingham suspiciously. With the relationship between the Duke of Buckingham and William III, it was impossible to despise his brother.
"Do you know about the Battle of Cassion?" The Duke asked instead without explaining.
"Know."
General Sheehan replied.
It was a battle that took place in the third year of William III's coronation, and it is remembered by all who admired William III.
"I went with him that time." The Duke's thoughts seemed to return to a long time ago, "Our enemy is the Northern Alliance Army supported by Blasey. The most critical battle took place in Cassion. Our army has only Less than seven thousand, and the enemy has fifteen thousand."
Everyone in Legrand knew about the battle, and William III and the Duke of Buckingham defeated the stronger by the weak, and in one fell swoop Blasey's plan to invade by means of a rebellion was smashed.
When the news of the victory came back to Merz, people were ecstatic, revelling in the streets, shouting "God bless Legrand" and "God bless the king".
The court poets wrote with admiration: "Never in history has a Legrand king turned the tide and achieved such an important victory in such a critical situation. The people of Grande shall not henceforth be made into the wrath of the kingdom. When he returns with great glory and victory, the kingdom bows its head only to him."
"Isn't that great enough to be called a hero?"
General Sheehan asked suspiciously.
"It will only be remembered for the glorious side," said the Duke of Buckingham lightly. "At the end of the battle, we have less than 2,000 people left, and there are more than 2,000 prisoners of war and wounded enemy soldiers. Do you know what order he gave at that time?"
"what?"
General Sheehan suddenly became nervous.
"He ordered—to kill all prisoners of war."
said the Duke of Buckingham slowly.
General Sheehan looked at him in astonishment.
Kill all surrendered prisoners of war and immobilized wounded... This is an order that can only be described as "ruthless". The spirit of the knight, the basic humanistic morality was trampled cleanly by it.
The Duke of Buckingham closed his eyes slightly.
He seemed to have returned to a long time ago, when he was still young and galloped on the battlefield with his brother. He watched William take the longbow in his own hands, draw the bowstring, and shoot the first wounded who groaned in the mud—his royal brother, such a proud knight who took the lead in violating the "no bullying" rule.
So everyone took up their weapons in silence, and swung their butcher knives at the enemy who put down their weapons.
"Kill prisoners of war, kill casualties."
The Duke of Buckingham opened his eyes sharply, his voice low and powerful.
"Yes, it is callous, ruthless, and contrary to justice."
General Sheehan sat there in the cold, feeling that the hero image he admired in his heart was gradually collapsing.
"But what can we do? There are only two thousand Legrand's troops left, and we have less than a day's supply of food. Can we take them with us? Can we guarantee that they will not rebel again?"
"Behind us is Legrand's royal city, and around us are countless dead comrades-in-arms, can we risk losing the country because of a little justice?"
The Duke of Buckingham questioned General Sheehan aggressively.
General Sheehan was speechless.
"It was Your Majesty who ordered the closure of the customs, because he is the king of Legrand. People in the future will only remember what order the ruthless king gave in this year, but not who carried out the order. Whether it is infamy or accusation, it will only fall on him."
The Duke of Buckingham glanced deeply at General Sheehan.
"If the king only upholds justice, then who will bear the sins of those innocent sacrifices for the people?"
The Duke of Buckingham stood up and patted his shoulder gently: "You are the first general selected by His Majesty, don't let him down."
"Does your Majesty understand what his orders represent?"
General Sheehan asked in a low voice.
"He knows it better than anyone."
The Duke of Buckingham turned and walked into the blizzard.
—Anyone can long for redemption, anyone can hope to enter the paradise of rest, but the king cannot.
The king's robes are destined to be red with blood... the blood of innocents, the blood of enemies, and his own.
"Sheehan? Sheehan?" The squire shouted twice, "We're here."
General Sheen woke up suddenly.
He pulled the reins hard:
"Walk."
He carried out the king's orders.
The author has something to say: [1] From the Chronicle of Pisa, a true record of the second pandemic period of the Black Death.