The sand sea in the extreme south, the source of Yinchuan.
Brian sat in the tent, waiting for news from the front line. On the opposite side of him are Guerz Huohuo, the patriarch of the Crazy Flame Clan, and Thuram, the elder of the Aosha Clan.
The two of them have now become the spokespersons of the Mojin clan.
In addition to the battalion commander of the Musket Battalion representing the Great Chief, it can be said that the leaders who can decide the fate of the sand people have all gathered here.
The cold wind in the desert made the tarpaulin pop, but the awning was exceptionally warm. The sand seemed to be sitting on a huge brazier. No matter how cold the surface was, burying your feet in the salt sand would always help you. Feeling the hot air gushing out, the effect is comparable to the kang and heating in Neverwinter City.
The locals even invented a sand bed, which is to dig out a shallow pit with a length and width of one person on the ground, replace the salt sand of Baihuahua with sieved fine sand, and then bury themselves in it to maintain body temperature to the greatest extent. . And those fine sands are soft to the touch, and lying on them is even more comfortable than a quilt woven from linen. If you pitch a tent above your head, you can live comfortably throughout the winter.
Unfortunately, it is this geothermal heat that ruins the vitality of this place. The salt in the sea water is constantly precipitating, turning the desert of about 100 kilometers into a piece of snow white. Not to mention flowers and trees, even sandworms and poisonous scorpions are hard to see.
Without an oasis, there would be no source of food. A large plain was no different from a dead place. If it were considered desolate, there would probably only be black water swamps above it in the extreme south.
For hundreds of years, the Mojin people only built a few scattered wooden houses at the junction of the saline-alkali land to provide temporary shelter for those who came from afar, but now, the situation has changed.
"You are very calm, young man," Goulz said suddenly, breaking the silence, "The Furious Wave Clan and the Bone Cutting Clan are both the most powerful clans in Iron Sand City, and the Great Chief can easily defeat them, it does not mean those small tribes Can you do that and you have so much confidence in them?"
Seeing someone start, Thuram also quickly added, "In the past year, no new tribes in Iron Sand City have been promoted to the six major clans. Obviously, they control all the resources flowing into the city. In the extreme south, as long as there are With enough food, the clan will be able to recover quickly. Their current strength is probably stronger than before you came here."
"Confidence? No..." Brian shook his head slowly, "I don't have such a thing for them."
"Then...why didn't you use the Great Chief's troops?" Thuram said in surprise, "Only need to dispatch a hundred people, and cooperate with the warriors of Kuangyan and Aosha, it will definitely make these arrogant people dare not cross. A little oasis step."
"Then what? Let the First Army patrol the front line of the Yinchuan Oasis forever, acting as the caretaker of those small tribes?" Brian looked at him, "Do you think that is what Your Majesty would like to see?"
"Uh, this..." Thuram was at a loss for words.
Shortly after the implementation of the Great Relocation Plan, the development of the extreme south was also started. In addition to the construction of Daqing Port at the Endless Cape, another focus was the saline-alkali land at the source of Yinchuan. Due to the lack of river channels, to transport these white-flowered industrial resources out of the desert, they can only rely on a lot of manpower and animal power to drag them to the nearest tributaries of the Chishui River.
For this reason, the two cities of Zuolongling and Bishuigang have opened up rich conditions to attract enough sand people to join the sand-moving army.
In just one year, there have been many tents and figures coming and going at the junction of the saline-alkali land.
Deep wells were drilled down, and fresh water was drawn from the underground river of Yinchuan, which was used for drinking and filtering and purifying salt sand.
The humble factory building was also established. There was no gushing steam or the roar of machines. The whole process was completed by human hands. It was like panning for gold. Then it is loaded and transported to the hinterland of the west, waiting for further processing. This repetitive and boring work has become a new melody in the saline-alkali land.
Although there are still no oases, sandworms and poisonous scorpions, it is a little lively here.
Paying for food and clothing not only attracts migrants, but also small tribes who have not yet made up their minds. They often came to the junction in groups and traded their physical strength for wheat, jerky, and cloth. Some happily returned to the oasis with food, while others stayed behind and became part of the migrants.
This phenomenon has aroused the dissatisfaction of the big clan in Iron Sand City. The more clans that leave the oasis, the less resources they can get. The conflict finally broke out two months ago. The cavalry and the Bone Clan dispatched cavalry to kill a group of small tribesmen and horses that set out from the oasis, and threw their heads on the only way to the north. The intention is obviously to He is warning other Mojin people who are just around the corner.
The big clan did not dare to be the enemy of the King of Greycastle, so they aimed their butcher knives at the small tribes who had not yet surrendered. They probably thought that this would not attract the thunder and wrath of the great chief. After all, no king of the northern kingdom would really care about Bailai Sand people's life and death, but did not expect this move to directly touch the nerves of Neverwinter City.
Unprovoked reduction of the population is undoubtedly one of the most taboo things for His Majesty Roland. Brian has long been aware of this.
Long before Goulz's letter arrived, the Musketeer battalion commander was ready to deal with it.
"What if they fail?" Guerz Huohuo rubbed his forehead, "If I remember correctly, it's only been three months since those people received musket training, right?"
"Then they will be killed, and the tribe they belong to will become slaves of Iron Sand City." Brian closed his eyes, "I said before the expedition that their battle was not for me, but for themselves. I gave them a sharp blade that is strong enough to fight against the cavalry. If they still can't protect their own people from the opponent's butcher knife, then they don't deserve to be a member of the Greycastle army. For me, it's just retraining a group of people. ."
"..." For the first time, Goulz showed a face-to-face look, as if he had a new understanding of the young officer.
"And, you forgot one point, three months is just training time for musketeers," he continued, "in addition to musketeers, they have sabres, daggers, fists, and teeth, all from the moment the sandmen were born. Start training, isn't it?"
The Sandmen troop that Brian chose to form was composed of resident residents from small tribes. They were different from big clans like Kuangyan. Although they chose to stay in the front line of Greycastle, they still cared about the clans in the oasis. These people neither have a unified background, but can also form an invisible bond between the two places, and they are the best source of troops for the local army. And those old-fashioned flintlock muskets that were eliminated became their standard equipment.
Suddenly, there were rapid footsteps outside the tent.
"Stop!" shouted the guards stationed there.
"I'm Juda from the ambush team. I have something important to report to the battalion commander!"
"Let him in," Brian snapped his eyes open.
The door curtain was lifted, and a man with blood on his face stumbled in and rushed in. After shaking twice, he seemed to be unable to support his body any longer, and fell to the ground on one knee. Although panting, his eyes were bright as stars.
"Sir, we won!"