As soon as the day dawned, Kakusim arrived at the pier.
What was different from usual was that the pier was full of silent people, carrying backpacks and long guns, like a dense forest standing in the wind and snow. Despite the large number of people, the order at the scene was very orderly. The soldiers boarded the paddle steamer one by one. The posture alone made him feel speechless.
Kakusim couldn't help swallowing.
This is the soldier of His Royal Highness.
It's incredible, the old man thought. When he was young, he had roamed most of Greycastle, from Haifeng County to Bishui Port. He also led a merchant fleet to the fjords and islands. He has witnessed the dazzling iron knights, and he has also seen the ability to fight with bare hands. The fierce barbarian of the beast. Those people were undoubtedly extremely powerful warriors to him, but he did not expect that in front of a group of ordinary people, he would feel this power again, and it was stronger than before.
That's right, these people are ordinary people... It's been almost four months since Kakusim came to Border Town, and his understanding of the town is deepening day by day. He knew that the members of the First Army were basically selected from the local aborigines. Most of them were adults when they joined the army. They had various occupations before, including miners, hunters, kiln workers and masons, but there were no warriors. In other words, they had no experience in combat training at all.
However, in just a few months, these people have already possessed the momentum that is not inferior to any knight order. What kind of magic did His Royal Highness perform
"You...really going?" Vader's deliberately lowered voice came from behind, and he could tell that he was also infected by this silent team.
"Otherwise, why should I apply for the position of captain?" Kakusim took a deep breath.
"But they're going to war."
"They are all serving His Highness," the old man said without looking back, "and so am I."
The voice behind was silent for a moment, "Don't die outside."
He didn't answer, but waved his hand.
…
Under the snow, Kakusim boarded paddle steamer number six, and according to tradition, the captain could name his ship, and even though the odd ship belonged to His Royal Highness, he was told he had the power.
But the old man has not made up his mind.
This is after he bid farewell to sailing for more than ten years, and once again served as the captain. He hoped that he could come up with a memorable name.
"Boss, you're here!" Walking into the cabin at the bow, his deputy immediately greeted him. "The boiler is now preheating, and I guarantee it will turn up soon."
This young man is called Barracuda, from the south, and has had several years of experience in fishing at sea. In other fleets, he may not even be able to be a sailor, but here is no difference, everyone is a novice.
"Has the crew all arrived?"
"It's early, you're the last one," the other party winked.
"If you don't know how to respect a captain, I'll gladly let you scrub the deck all day."
"No, Mr. Captain," the young man stood up straight, "of course I understand!"
"That's right," Kakusim said, stroking his beard, "inform the boiler room and let them burn the fire a little more, but don't close the damn steam valve, I don't want to hit the front again. Ship's ass!"
"Okay, I got it." Before the sentence was over, Barracuda revealed his true form again. He winked at the old man, and then flew out of the cockpit.
"This bastard," Kakusim shook his head with a smile. The serious atmosphere brought by the First Army has been diluted a lot, and he seems to have returned to the days of galloping at sea. Walking to the steering wheel, the old man gently rubbed the wooden wheel handle and began to sink his heart to review the operation process of the paddle steamer.
The stone ship invented by His Royal Highness is very different from the sailboat. It has no mast and no cabin under the deck. There are only two rooms at the bow and the middle of the hull. The front is called the wheelhouse. The window clearly sees the route, and in the middle is the boiler room, where the power of the ship comes from.
The rear and rear of the cab are bare decks. When training, they often bring some miners along the Chishui River westward to dig some coal at the edge of the hidden forest. This thing is more durable than firewood. In Haifeng County It is also a relatively common heater. And now, windscreens were pulled up all around the deck, and a shed was erected overhead, apparently for the soldiers on board.
Although he had never been exposed to this new contraption before, Kakusim soon discovered in training that it was not difficult to get it to move, and it was even easier than a sailboat. Just the fact that there is no need to adjust the canvas according to the wind direction and wind force saves a lot of manpower and time. Any villager can burn the boiler vigorously, but it is impossible to master the pole climbing and sailing in half a year. As long as the chimney spews white gas, close the valve and the boat will go.
At this moment, a dull whistle sounded from the front, breaking the tranquility of the early morning in Border Town.
This is the departure signal.
"Boss, the water in the stove is boiling!" Barracuda rushed back to the cab.
"Pull the bell, tell Bigfoot and Grizzly to close, speed, and move forward!" Kakusim said the command solemnly.
"Yes, one step ahead!" Barracuda pulled a slender wire on the wall, and along this wire, the corresponding bell in the boiler room would vibrate to convey the command from the captain.
The hull shook violently, and the wooden wheels on both sides turned slowly.
Kakusim held the wheel and looked straight ahead. When Vader asked that question, he didn't say what he really thought, or that serving the lord was only a small part of the answer.
He simply likes the position of captain more than anything else.
Whether it is a sailboat or a steam paddle steamer, when holding the steering wheel and breaking the waves on the water, Kakusim will feel heartfelt joy.
This is the life he wants.
"Pull the sails... No, keep adding coal!" The old man turned the rudder to the right and shouted, "You guys hurry up, we're going!"
*****************
"As long as you can send me to Border Town, the Sylt family will be rewarded with a lot of money... Five, no, how about ten golden dragons," the butler asked the boatman, who was in a dilemma, blocking the door of a log cabin by the river. road. His left foot was stuck in the crack of the door, lest the other party directly close the dilapidated door panel and shut him out.
"Sir, sir... It's not that I don't want to send you off, but I really can't," the boatman stammered, "You, look, my boat has a bare bottom and even a shed to keep out the snow. I don't have any. Usually it's fine to cross the river, but if you say you want to go to Border Town, it takes several days! Not to mention whether I can make it there with a pole, it's freezing and snowing at night, so where are we going to sleep! What do you want? Speaking of sleeping on a boat, you can't freeze it into two popsicles all night?"
"Is there any other boatmen around here who can go to Border Town?" the butler asked reluctantly.
"No more," the other party waved his hands again and again. "We are all just small boats. Only in the fortress are there large sailboats that can stay overnight. You should go there and find them."
If you can enter the Longsong Fortress, why bother to come to the suburban pier to find these boatmen who make a living by fishing and ferrying
The butler stomped on the snow on the ground. Since the four families started attacking the fortress, all the city gates have been closed. It took him half a day to bypass the fortress and come here. Unfortunately, it is still in vain to find it.
Seeing that the sky is going to get dark, how can I complete the task explained by the master
The housekeeper looked at the Chishui River with a bitter look, but soon he was stunned in place.
God, what is that
He rubbed his eyes, convinced that he had not mistakenly seen an extremely large fleet of ships heading towards him. The appearance of the ships was different from the sailboats he had ever seen. With a sound, it moved forward rapidly along the river; except for the first sailboat with a strange shape, the rest of the ships obviously had no sails, but they were heading against the wind.
The flag of the first ship fluttered in the wind, and the emblem of the tower and spear embroidered on it was clearly visible. The steward couldn't help but hold his breath. This is the fleet of His Royal Highness Roland Wimbledon! (.)