The servant standing outside the backyard only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the General came out of the backyard safe and sound.
It's just that, looking at General Xia Ya's face, it seems to be very unsightly.
Xia Ya had a sullen face—no, to be precise, it should be a black face. What's even more strange is that his black face was not full of anger, but instead, he was somewhat embarrassed and wronged, as if Just got some kind of insult.
(Damn, the price is the price... This damn Merlin, what a mess of bullshit ideas!!)
Xia Ya was very annoyed, and more of a helplessness.
Damn it, at the price Merlin said... I don't want to be a goddamn dragon knight! !
When he rushed out of the backyard and came to his official hall, Dora's voice came in his mind.
"Mr. Merlin... What is the solution I told you? What is the price to pay? Why do you seem to be in a strange mood?"
Xia Ya didn't speak, just snorted.
... Just now, in the backyard, when Merlin finally said the "price" and the method, he first used a strange spell to temporarily cut off the sensory connection between Dora and Char.
"The way I said, I can't let the cunning dragon know for the time being. After you hear it, it's best not to tell it."
This is Merlin's request... no, or an order.
Therefore, Dora didn't know what Merlin said to Char at the end.
And Shayah...
See the goddamn ghost! This way, I won't tell Dora! Do not! I will never think about this method again in the future! Never mention it again! ! !
Merlin's kind of words, it's just rotten in the stomach! !
Xia Ya's mood was very impatient: "Don't ask, I will never say it... Well, this is about the dragon knight, let's just leave it!!"
Dora was still a little unwilling: "But Xiaya, don't you want a mount anymore? After you put on the dragon scale armor, you don't have a mount anymore..."
"Damn!" Xia Ya was stimulated by the words.
It really is a pot that can't be lifted without opening it!
"I..." Xia was furious, and suddenly slapped the table viciously: "I really can't do it, I will go to the dwarf and ask for a ground beast! That thing can carry several thousand kilograms, so it's definitely no problem to carry me! Damn, I can't ride a real dragon, so I ride a beast on the ground! At least I heard that this thing also has the blood of the dragon family, right?"
"That's just a rumor!" Dora was very dissatisfied with what Xia Ya insulted the noble blood of the dragon family.
"Anyway, I don't want to talk about this anymore!" Xia Ya angrily ended the conversation between the two of them. No matter how Dora exchanged it, Xia Ya ignored it.
A person was angry in the room for a while, Xia Ya waited for her mood to calm down a little, and then went out again and rode out of the city to the military camp outside the city.
He really thought of doing it, and went straight to the dwarf's station, found the rock, and put forward his request bluntly.
"I need a ground beast to temporarily serve as my mount."
Hearing this request, the dwarf grinned, and went to Xia, the honest rock couldn't help but tell the truth: "That... Your Honorable General. This, the earth-moving beasts bred by our dwarves, have a very strong load-bearing capacity. , However, this kind of creature, the running speed is too slow, a normal human running with all his strength, the speed is faster than it, such a defect, I am afraid it is not suitable for use as a mount on the battlefield..."
Xia didn't believe it, so he pulled the rock hard and asked the dwarf to bring an earth beast to try.
The appearance of the ground beast is indeed a bit "dragon". It is no wonder that in the legend, this creature is somewhat related to the dragon family. From the appearance point of view, the ground beast is very similar to that kind of earth-type dragon- Just a lot smaller.
This earth-walking beast, drawn by the rock, has a body that is more than three circles stronger than the most majestic bull, but its neck is not as long as a real dragon, and its limbs are as thick as a hundred-year-old tree trunk. The rough cuticles are also extremely hard to the touch.
The rock said that the skin of the beast is very strong, and even has the effect of petrification, and ordinary swords cannot cut through the skin of this giant beast, and only a powerful dwarf can damage them with a heavy hammer.
After listening to Shi Yan's proud introduction, Xiaya shamelessly touched his chin, and then made a more shameless request.
"Oh? It's tough, can I try to cut it with a knife?"
The rock almost sat on the ground without a somersault.
Cut a knife? !
Others are nothing, but you are a warrior who can slaughter giant dragons! Even if the skin of the ground beast is firm, it is impossible to resist the blow of the dragon slayer.
The ground beast brought by the rock was domesticated by his own family, so how could he be willing to leave it to Xia to try the knife
Seeing Shi Yan's expression, Xia Ya laughed dryly: "I'm joking, I'm not here to try it, I can let my soldiers try it, right?"
Rock hesitated for a while, then looked at the guards standing behind Char, and hesitated... Although these guards were considered strong men among humans, in the eyes of dwarves, it was nothing surprising.
"All right."
To be careful, the rock also proposed that the candidate must be picked by him.
Then the honest dwarf went back and forth twice among the guards beside Char, and finally picked out a guy who looked the youngest and the least imposing.
Rock picked this guy for his own reasons.
According to the dwarves' point of view, the strength is proportional to the age, the older the age, the longer the training time, the stronger the strength.
This young human warrior chosen by himself does not seem to be very old. How long can he practice martial arts? Besides, the group of guards around Xia Ya, all of them have big arms and round waists, and they are murderous, but this one looks a little more pleasing to the eye and kinder...
But soon, Rock discovers that he has made a fatal mistake!
"Oh? Hawke, our dwarf brother picked you." There was a hint of sympathy in Xia's eyes, looked at the rock, and patted the rock on the shoulder: "Good eyesight! This is the number one guard around me. Master."
First, first, master
The rock opened his mouth immediately!
It was Hawke who was picked by the dwarves, the young mercenary leader who used to run rampant on the wildfire.
The two mercenary groups that Xia Ya recruited from Wildfire Plain, the leader of the two mercenary groups, the older Russell, who is a stable and cautious person, has already served in the army.
And this Hawk, because his temper was too fierce, temporarily stayed by Xia Ya's side as the head of the guard. For a long time, Hawke was the guard in charge of the guard house and did not go out with Xia Ya.
At this moment, the other guards that Xia Ya is carrying are all strengthened cavalry warriors in the "strong cavalry battalion". The body looks taller and stronger than Hawke (although Hawke is also a rare strong man).
Moreover, the warriors of the strong cavalry camp are all battle-hardened veterans.
Hawke was only a mercenary in the past, and his murderous aura was naturally inferior to those of the guards of the strong cavalry.
But Xia said that Hawke was the number one expert among the guards around him, but he did not exaggerate at all!
Hawke is a standard mercenary warrior. His martial arts are very superb. His strength has reached the level of the middle-level warriors of the empire. He can use Dou Qi skillfully and has high martial arts skills.
As for the other guards, even though they have a lot of murderous aura, they are not orthodox warriors after all. They are only experienced in the army. In terms of individual strength, they are really not as good as Hawke.
With the rock looking uneasy, Hawke had already grinned and strode out. The young mercenary warrior drew a long-handled machete from behind.
The hammer and battle axe that Hawke used originally were not suitable for the role of the guard leader, so he had switched to a long-handled war knife.
This battle knife is specially made, the back of the knife is a finger thick, and it is also made of high-quality iron, which is heavy.
With the knife in his hand, Hawke strode to the side of the ground beast. The young warrior sneered, and the ground beast seemed to feel the evil spirit of Hawke, and immediately sent out a hostile wave. He roared, but although his body moved, the chain around his neck, held in the hands of the rock, was tamed and did not dare to struggle too much.
Hawke had already raised his knife. At this time, he glanced at Xia Ya and saw Xia Ya wink at him. Hawke immediately understood and shouted!
Immediately, the blade of the samurai and his whole body burst out with a ray of vindictiveness!
Seeing the vindictiveness erupting from this guy, Shi Yan's eyes suddenly darkened, and he secretly cried out in his heart: It's over!
The fighting spirit of a human warrior is a symbol of strength, and the dwarves are naturally very clear about this.
The dwarves tame the earthbound beasts, all of which are their own private property. It takes a lot of effort to tame an earthbound beast from a young age. Moreover, not every dwarf family has the strength to domesticate the beasts! The amount of food a terrestrial beast consumes is astonishing, and it is not something that an ordinary dwarf family can afford. Although the rock has quite a status in the tribe, there are only two ground beasts in his name. If he was killed here just because of Char's words, it would really make the dwarves' hearts bleed!
Seeing that the human warrior slashed down with a sword with a vindictive ray of light, the rock has subconsciously closed his eyes...
boom! !
After a muffled sound, the ground beast suddenly raised its neck and roared. The roar was like an ox and horse, but the sound was much louder. And there was pain in the roar.
When Shi Yan opened his eyes, he thought he would see a scene full of blood... but he was stunned!
His own ground beast was just beaten directly to the ground, with a mark on his left back. It was obviously a blow from a samurai, and it was very unbearable to hit him - but that's all, there was no bleeding or injury. scene.
"I used the back of the knife. Our general is kind, how can you really kill your livestock?" Hawke walked over and patted the rock on the shoulder, smiled, put away his knife, and then looked back at Xia Ya , said: "Sir, this thing is really not bad. Although I used the back of the knife just now, it took 50% of my strength! It is estimated that it broke a bone, but it is not serious! Such rough skin and flesh. Thick, it really deserves to be a monster. A monster is a monster, even if the guy is tamed, it is a monster after all, not an ordinary livestock."
Shi Yan felt relieved at first, but then his heart ached again when he looked at the place where his ground beast was broken.
Xia laughed and grabbed the rock: "I'm sorry, my dwarf brother, it's not that I want to hurt your livestock, but if I don't have the strength to try it, how can I try it out? On the battlefield, there is no room for falsehood. Now, I am very satisfied with the result."
A mid-level warrior, with 50% of his strength and fighting spirit, was unable to kill this thing even though he used the back of his sword... It seems that this thing's ability to fight against attacks is indeed extraordinary!
Moreover, the load-bearing capacity of the ground beast is extremely excellent, and there is no problem in carrying several thousand catties!
Such a sturdy and powerful guy... and his body is so huge and majestic, if you put a hard iron armor on it, throw it on the battlefield, and rampage...
Char's eyes started to light up! !
Tu Bie's mind began to imagine such a picture: On the battlefield, a ground beast with full body armor rushed into the enemy's array and rammed, surrounded by enemy soldiers with swords and swords, but only in vain. The iron armor on the body only made a clinking sound, and it couldn't stop this infinitely powerful thing from continuing to rush, and the people who bumped along the way turned on their backs...
Earthbeasts aren't running fast enough... that's a flaw.
But if... I don't use it as a cavalry mount, but as...
As an infantry? !
Imagine a team of terrestrial beasts in full armor charging and rushing to the front! Even if the enemy is an array of armored heavy infantry, I am afraid that such a rushing team cannot be stopped? As for the archer... For this kind of monster that is hard to hurt by a sword, it's not even a scratch!
If there is such a team of pioneers, the number does not need to be too large, and on the battlefield, they are responsible for tackling fortifications and can knock out a gap in the enemy array, then it can play a decisive role!
The more Xia Ya thought about it, the more heartbroken he became, and in the end, he even wished he could slap himself twice!
Damn, I'm such a pig brain! Such a good thing, why didn't I think of using it earlier!
The relationship between humans and the dwarves has always been very rigid. Except for a very small number of caravans that can gain "limited trust" from the dwarves and conduct some small transactions with the dwarves, the entire human world cannot conduct large-scale transactions with the dwarves. cooperation in other fields.
As for the terrestrial beasts domesticated by the dwarves, they have never been sold to any human caravan!
The dwarves distrust and even hostile to humans, and the situation has never really improved.
If it weren't for the existence of a powerful backstage like Merlin, these proud dwarves probably wouldn't even look at him.
Taking a deep breath, Xia suppressed the excitement in her heart, and put on a calm look on her face, looking at the rock: "Well... it's not bad, I can be satisfied with the result. Now, the rock, let Let's discuss it, can you sell me these beasts?"
"...Wait, wait!" The rock suddenly seemed to hear something wrong: "You mean 'these'?? Great Thor! Dear General, did I hear it wrong? You don't just need Looking for a temporary mount for yourself?"
Xiaya smiled slyly: "Don't forget, I'm a nobleman, the habits of our nobles..."
"Okay, Lord General, we dwarves are just simple, but not fools." Rock still has brains after all, after thinking about it for a while, he smiled and said, "It seems that you are interested in the earth-moving beasts that our dwarves tame. Do you want to use these animals on the battlefield?"
Xia Ya smiled, he didn't feel embarrassed when someone saw through his mind, and simply said clearly: "Yes, that's what I mean, this thing seems to me to be somewhat useful, let's just say it, My dwarf brother, what conditions do you have to offer before you are willing to sell me some earthbound beasts?"
Xia Ya quickly calculated that these dwarves came to him this time and brought about a hundred terrestrial beasts. If he ate all of them, it would be enough to form a separate "tough camp". !
How about being slow? No matter how slow the terrestrial beast runs, it is as fast as a normal person. It is enough to use it as an infantry to attack a fortress.
In the field, no heavy armored infantry can stop the onslaught of such monsters in groups!
Shield Wall? Can you stop the mighty terrestrial beast
The spearmen... can pierce the hard skin of an earthbeast? What's more, he is also going to put a layer of hard and thick iron armor on these things!
As for the archers... Hmph, for the beasts of the earth, they are all gods and horses...
In Xia Ya's memory, the weapons in the human army that he knew were probably only the heavy hammers of high-level warriors that could cause damage to the ground beasts in short-term encounters, and ordinary soldiers could ignore them.
What else... Well, ballistas can also kill terrestrial beasts, but ballistas are generally used for defensive fortifications on city walls. Besides, although the power of ballistas is huge, their accuracy is not high, and they can only be used to cover the area. way to inflict damage.
Good stuff, absolutely good stuff! !
Such a good thing, why haven't the human chambers of commerce that trade with dwarves ever thought of buying it? What a waste! !
"Respected general, I have to tell you that I have no right to sell you these terrestrial beasts." Shi Ya's answer made Xiaya's heart feel cold.
"The tribal composition of our dwarves is different from that of your human beings. These terrestrial beasts are the private property of every dwarven family of the dwarves. Even our graybeard king can only use dwarf warriors when they commandeer them. They are used by their own domesticated beasts and have no right to sell these things. The ownership of these ground beasts belongs to their respective owners.”
It turned out to be so, Xia Ya breathed a sigh of relief.
That's easy to do, I just have to send people to talk to these dwarves one by one to buy them.
"In addition, the dwarves are the important productivity of the family. We dwarves are good at mining and forging iron tools, but we have to transport heavy ores in large quantities in the mines, and even the strongest dwarves can't bear it. It is a kind of strong physical labor. The earthbound beast is our greatest help. I am afraid that the dwarves are rarely willing to sell their earthbound beast. Once sold, although they will benefit temporarily, they will lose their greatest labor and future income sources. ."
Xia Ya heard this, although she frowned a little, but she was not discouraged. Although the terrestrial beast is very important to the dwarves, it is nothing more than asking for a higher price.
"The dwarves have always been reluctant to conduct any transactions with humans. We don't trust humans... Oh, please don't mind me, General." Rock explained: "Although our tribe also has some human caravans that will come and conduct business with us. Some transactions, but these transactions are controlled at the tribal level, that is to say, those human caravans trade with our tribe, and our dwarf tribe will prepare the goods in a centralized manner, and trade with human beings in the name of the tribe. Team trading. But individual dwarf families are not willing to deal with human merchants."
It turns out that it's no wonder that human caravans can't buy land beasts.
Human caravans make large transactions with tribal leaders, but tribal leaders do not have the right to sell terrestrial beasts, because these are the private property of dwarves. Individual dwarves refuse to trade with human merchants.
These dwarves are really too stubborn.
"I have to explain to you that you have only seen the good side of these beasts, but not their flaws." Rock reminded kindly.
"Are you talking about their running speed? I don't think it's a problem, I have my own way." Char smiled, but the kindness towards rocks was still very useful.
"No no no... Running speed is not a big problem. Although I am stupid, I probably understand that you need these ground beasts, not as mounts for cavalry. What I want to say is that these ground beasts have other flaws. Rock sighed: "First of all, these things...they eat a lot! Because of this, it is very expensive for dwarves to tame ground beasts. Ordinary dwarf families don't have that much idleness." Among our dwarf tribes, only those well-to-do dwarf families have the ability to domesticate the beasts. The food consumption of these beasts is definitely an astonishing figure!”
"Oh? How many?"
The rock pondered for a while and reported a number.
As soon as he heard this number, Xia Ya's expression changed.
But then, Xia Ya's face quickly returned to normal.
Consume a lot of food
What are you afraid of! The several sites under Lao Tzu are all the largest grain-producing areas in northern Byzantium!
Are restaurant owners afraid of big-bellied men? joke!
Moreover, although the figures reported by the rock are a bit excessive, it depends on how to analyze it!
If this terrestrial beast is used properly, the combat power will definitely exceed the heavy armored infantry army of three battalions! And the ability to attack fortifications can be worth the heavy armored infantry of a banner regiment!
Heavy armored infantry is the second most expensive arm of the human army after the cavalry! An infantry army covered in heavy armor, whether it is the selection of soldiers, salaries, and equipment costs, is a huge number!
And a battalion of ground beasts can reach a heavy infantry of a banner regiment! Even if the food consumption is more, it will not be higher than the heavy infantry that supports a banner regiment!
"Food, what I have is grain! My area is a grain-producing area, and these are not a problem for me." Xia Ya shook his head: "Is there anything else?"
Shi Yan sighed, and was really envious of Char's "luxury".
Dwarves have always been bad at farming food, and food is also a necessity for dwarves.
Although the dwarves are hostile to humans, they still have to maintain transactions and contacts with some human business groups, which is really a last resort.
For the dwarves to grow and develop, food is the biggest constraint. The dwarves are good at digging holes and blacksmithing, but they are really not good at working in the farmland. Planting is not a dwarf talent.
But if the dwarves want to grow stronger, they need to dig bigger mines, and to dig bigger mines, they need more terrestrial beasts, and to tame more terrestrial beasts, they need a lot of food...
Food is the biggest shackle that imprisoned the development of the dwarf tribe.
For this reason, the dwarf tribes had to trade with the human caravans, and even used the valuable minerals in their own tribes to exchange for the high-priced food brought by the human caravans!
Those human caravans are very black-hearted, the same food, trafficked to the dwarf tribe, the price is at least ten times higher than in the Byzantine Empire!
And the ore dug by the dwarves that they exchanged for grain from the dwarf tribe, and even the iron tools made by the dwarf tribe, brought back to the country, can be sold for a hundred times the price of the purchase! !
This is also one of the important reasons why dwarf tribes do not trust humans!
Food... Dwarves dream of a lot of food!
The dwarves like to drink, but because of the shortage of food, the dwarves do not have much food to brew...
Anyone in the caravan knows that the most common spirits in the human world, when trafficked to the dwarves, can be exchanged for a dwarf's silver coins with a barrel of inferior rye wine! This price is twenty times that of the human world!
The food is so expensive in my own place, but in this human general, it can be squandered freely...
Shi Yan was very emotional, and then said: "Well, if food is not a problem, then there is another problem... These ground beasts, they are cave dwellers, that is to say, every winter, they To hibernate, for at least two or three months, they cannot do any work."
"Ah?" Xia was stunned.
Can't use it in winter
But what about the war? Even if Char can control himself not to fight the enemy in winter, he can't guarantee that his enemy will not fight him in winter!
"Don't they have to sleep in winter, is there no other way?" Xiaya frowned.
"If you force them, it's not impossible." Rock scratched his head: "This... if the terrestrial beasts are forcibly driven in winter, they will be listless and lazy. Besides, they will be driven to work in winter. , the food consumption will be much more than usual, so we dwarves never do this."
"It's still food... Then there's no problem." Xiaya nodded: "In winter, their effect will be reduced a lot, I remember. Any more?"
"No more." Rock smiled: "If what I said is not a problem for you, then I can tell you responsibly that these ground beasts will be the best labor you have ever seen! They carry heavy loads. They are extremely capable, and they can still work in harsh environments. They can go without water for three days in a row, and they are very obedient. They will absolutely obey their master's commands and are very loyal to their masters."
"Okay, now, it's time to make an offer." Xia Ya shook a whip gently in his hand.
"As I said, these terrestrial beasts are private property, I can't make the price on behalf of others, this... you have to talk to them yourself. I want to remind you first, we dwarves are very stubborn, we have always They don't trust humans very much, so most dwarves are reluctant to trade with humans. So..."
"What if I exchange food for it?" Xiaya smiled.
"Maybe it is possible. But... Lord General, if I sell you one or two heads, it won't be a problem, but if you need a lot... I'm afraid it won't work. The code of our dwarf King Greybeard stipulates that the earthbound beasts are dwarves. Important property cannot be traded with humans. You are a friend of our dwarves, a few, or even a dozen, I think, we dwarves have lived here for so many days, if you receive your hospitality, there may be someone I am willing to sell it to you, but if you want to buy more, even if we want to, the code of the dwarves will not allow it."
"Damn, it's really a headache." Xia Ya's eyes flashed.
Obviously, the turtle started to hold back some ideas.
After a while, Xiaya suddenly glanced at the rock, and he took out the most sincere tone.
"Brother Rock, can you do me a favor?"
Rock smiled: "Tell me what it is first."
"It's not too difficult, I need you to help me run a trip. I want to invite you to go back to your clan and convey a few words of mine to your graybeard king, and tell him some of my proposals."
The rock was stunned: "Proposal?"
"Yes." Xia Ya cleared his throat: "You remember what I said: I, the general of the northern garrison of the Byzantine Empire, the Duke of Noz, the Grand Duke of Xia Lei Ming, greet the great Greybeard King, and may the god of thunder bless you. As a garrison general in the north of the Byzantine Empire, my territory has four counties, millions of people, and tens of thousands of troops. I am willing to start some sincere cooperation with the tribe of the dwarf King Greybeard. I know that the dwarf brothers need food, and I The territory of the Byzantine Empire is the largest grain-producing area in the Byzantine Empire. As an expression of my goodwill, I propose that we can conduct some grain trade in the future. As for the price... I think it will probably fluctuate between... this number. "
Xiaya pondered for a while, and reported a number, and this price is already twice the price of the grain in the Byzantine Empire!
And when the rock heard this number, he was immediately stunned and stunned!
Before Xia Ya finished speaking, the rock had already held Xia Ya tightly: "Master General, you, what you said is true?! Is it true?!"
"Of course it's true! Lao Tzu, General of the Northern Garrison! Here, my words are the highest decree!"
The rock almost fainted without happiness on the spot!
Xia started to feel depressed.
Judging from the reaction of the rock, the turtle suddenly realized whether his offer was too low...
He immediately couldn't help but ask: "What is the price of the human caravan that your tribe is trading at the moment to sell you food?"
It has to be said that the dwarf was still very honest after all, and said the answer sincerely: "Add a zero to the number you reported."
"I'm %￥￥※… ※%…" Char cursed a few foul words.
What he scolded was the black hearts of those human caravans! Even more insulting is myself!
The turtle can't wait to slap himself a few times with remorse in his heart! Why are you so anxious to quote? ! ! If I had known earlier, as long as my offer was a little lower than those of the human black-hearted merchants, these dwarves might beg for their own deals! !
But the turtle is still a turtle after all. Being cunning, he immediately thought of a way to make up for it.
"The price I'm talking about does not include shipping! That is to say, if you want to trade at this price, you dwarves must bring your team to my territory to buy it. I'm not responsible for delivering to your door." . I thought to myself: at least save some shipping costs.
"Although I don't have the right to promise you, but in my judgment, there is no problem at all!" Shi Yan couldn't wait to kiss Xia Ya! The dwarf said sincerely: "General Char, you will be the best and closest friend of our Greybeard tribe!!"
Xiaya immediately took a step back to prevent this guy from really hugging him.
You know, these dwarves don't have the habit of bathing.
"However, have you forgotten something?" Shi Yan suddenly looked worried: "I heard that your country seems to have a law that does not allow the sale of food to our dwarves... The emperor of your country has an imperial decree, no We are allowed to trade food with our dwarves! And those caravans are also secret caravans sent by some great nobles of your country to carry out some secret small-scale transactions with us. But your identity is different, you are a party If you openly conduct such official direct transactions with us in the capacity of your local officials... Aren't you afraid that the emperor of your country will punish you? Or the sanctions of your country's laws... "
Xia Ya directly rolled his eyes.
Turtle replied arrogantly.
"Law? In Lao Tzu's territory, Lao Tzu is Wang Fa."
Shi Yan is still very worried: "But the emperors of your country have issued strict imperial orders... You are only a general, a duke, after all, you are not as big as the emperor, are you not afraid of the emperor to you... "
Xia Ya didn't even bother to roll her eyes this time, her tone was disdainful.
"Emperor? Che, what is that? Is there such a thing in the world?"