Chapter 311 Only the Demon King can save the fallen demons!
Ti Qi was adjusting his collar at the entrance of the fortress, looking at the slowly approaching cavalry team in the distance with a complicated expression.
He never thought that he would actually meet General Hamelton, who had once frightened him, as a "baron".
Until a few months ago, he was chased by this guy's warship on the high seas and almost died...
"Your Excellency, Baron, General Hamelton is here!" Lumil, pretending to be a servant, whispered to him to pay attention to his expression.
This slippery guy——
Specializes in easy jobs!
Ti Qi cursed a few words in his mind, but he didn't have time to argue with this guy who didn't feel pain in his back just standing and talking.
"I know."
Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his uneasiness in his heart, forced himself to smile like a noble, and walked up.
At a glance, he saw Teach, who had been waiting for a long time. General Hamelton showed the etiquette when meeting prominent people in the empire, and got off his horse from a long distance away.
In other areas of the New World, he would never please a "down-and-out rich man" who treats himself as a scrap.
Standing forward, General Hamelton smiled and stretched out his hand: "I have heard of you for a long time, the distinguished Baron Teach! It is an honor to meet you today."
When he heard the word "Jiuwen Daimyo", Tiqi's heart twitched. Fortunately, there was no flaw on his face, and he smiled calmly and extended his right hand.
"You are ridiculous, Your Excellency General... Compared to a nobody like me, you are a giant whose reputation is resounding throughout the vast ocean!"
Holding General Hamelton's hand, Teach's mind subconsciously flashed back to the scene when he glimpsed Hamelton from a distance.
At that time, he was still an insignificant person, still hesitating whether to turn to be a pirate. Perhaps it was because he had a ghost in his heart, but one look from the other party scared him so much that he couldn't sleep well for several days.
The General Hamelton in front of him was polite and humble, without any of the arrogance he had in the past... He was almost the same person as before.
Tiqi was secretly wondering, but he couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief.
Perhaps Lumir was right——
These big shots are also human beings, and they also have another face of "their own people" in private.
Obviously he regards himself as one of his own.
Hence the two exchanged polite greetings, Teach invited General Hamelton to the fort, and Lumil was responsible for the placement of the cavalry following General Hamelton.
His Majesty the Demon King's servants also prepared a sumptuous meal for them, but it was just a tent where the servants stayed, and the utensils were pottery in accordance with the regulations of the empire.
"What a surprise, is this... uh, your mansion?" General Hamelton looked around and saw a low stone wall standing around it. There were only a few hastily pitched tents inside the wall. From a distance, it looked like a refugee camp.
Ti Qi coughed awkwardly and quickly explained: "I'm so sorry, Your Majesty General. Originally, my mansion was much more decent than it is now. Unfortunately, the storm last month was so violent that even the roof was blown into the sea, leaving only these walls that can be used to block the wind."
General Hamelton was startled when he heard the words, and immediately showed a concerned look: "So that's it, His Excellency the Baron is really suffering."
His attitude was gentle and frank, and it came from the heart. It was completely different from the attitude when he comforted the residents of Deadwood Harbor just now.
Teach smiled sheepishly and did not answer for fear of exposing his flaws. He led General Hamelton directly to the door of the main tent.
"This is it! I have limited conditions here and am in a hurry to prepare. If the reception is not good, I hope the general will accept it..."
"Haha! How can I not be treated well? I am just an intermediary. Rough people are not so picky about food. Bread and rum are enough——"
Hamilton laughed and walked through the tent door that the servant opened on his own initiative. He was mentally prepared for a rough meal.
He didn't come here to eat, he just wanted to say whatever he wanted.
However, when he saw the sumptuous delicacies spread across the long table, he was stunned on the spot, and almost stopped his mouth and dropped his tongue on his beard.
That can no longer be described with the word rich -
It can be called luxury!
The long table was covered with clean white cloth, and silver utensils and wine glasses were neatly placed.
In the center of the table, there is a golden roasted suckling pig, its belly stuffed with spices, roasted carrots and stewed mushrooms.
Beside it is a pot of steaming dragon turtle tail meat soup. The soup base is made of fish bones and dried tomatoes, with minced herbs floating on it and the faint fragrance of red wine.
Further on, there is a row of marinated sea fish and dried meat, served with rye bread and coarse cheese, as well as the Empire's native home dishes - caramel baked apples and onion baked beans, and tangy butter-baked scallops.
As for the drink, it is indeed rum common in the New World - but that is not important.
General Hamelton finally remembered to swallow his saliva, couldn't help but wipe his mouth with his sleeve, and then looked at Teach next to him.
"It's unbelievable... you usually eat this?!"
Tiqi was also a little confused.
The mission was issued by him, but he did not expect that the servant of the Demon King was so attentive in preparing him an imperial feast.
"Uh... Of course! I mean, I don't usually do so much. I can't finish it by myself." Tiqi couldn't organize his words for a while, but barely maintained the appearance of a nobleman without revealing any flaws.
However, in the eyes of General Hamelton, the calm and calm look was understood to have a completely different meaning -
The variety of food here is so rich that it can even allow a baron to maintain a more luxurious appearance than when he lived in the empire!
Those spices are used as if they are free, there are so many that they can even be mixed into the candles burning on the silver candlesticks!
General Hamelton's eyes suddenly became eager.
He has indeed come to the right place!
Looking at the hot look on his face, Tiqi thought he was hungry and quickly invited him to sit down.
The two sides exchanged cups and chatted for a while. Hamelton suddenly cleared his throat and finally revealed the main topic of his trip.
"Your Excellency, Baron, is Prince Colin nearby? If it is convenient, I hope to visit him soon!"
Teach had a regretful expression on his face and spoke the words Lumil had prepared for him.
"I'm very sorry, General Hamelton, His Royal Highness is not in Deadwood Port at the moment. He went to Assam, the holy city of the Ankylosaurus tribe, half a month ago to discuss a trade agreement with the Gutav United Kingdom. The Lizardman King I admired him very much and kept him there for a few more days."
Hummelton immediately became energetic when he heard the word "trade" and asked eagerly: "Trade? What do you need to purchase from there?"
Teach shrugged and said calmly: "Food! As you can see, we have no other source of food here except fishery. The land on the northern coast is not suitable for farming. We can only rely on the river valleys and plains in the inland areas... I think this is why the lizard people allowed us to recuperate here."
Hammerton pondered for a moment and then asked.
"So... what is the food production of the Gutav Kingdom? Do you know anything about it?"
Tiqi smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"I don't know exactly how much. But with their population base there, they must have a lot of food. What's more, they also use a lot of mechanical power for farming. I heard that one lizard man can manage hundreds of acres of land."
This is also the rhetoric that Lumil taught him, although Teach thinks it is nonsense.
Based on his experience as a landowner in his early years, a family of tenant farmers cultivating 10 acres of land with manpower is already considered highly productive.
If there is an ox or horse-drawn plow, the production capacity can be increased to 20 to 30 acres, but it cannot reach hundreds of acres... Moreover, even if it can be achieved, there is not so much land for him to cultivate.
If he is a free farmer, he has heard that some villages next door can cultivate fifty or sixty acres, but usually he needs to hire two seasonal helpers, and his wife and children also need to help with the farm work.
However, it happened that General Hamelton opposite was a naval academy graduate. He had never touched a hoe in his life and had no idea what hundreds of acres of land meant, so he didn't find it strange.
However, when he heard the mechanical power at work, his eyes widened involuntarily, and he forgot to breathe for a moment.
"The power of machinery?! What do you mean... they are plowing the fields with metal puppets?!"
Although there are still a large number of officers in the imperial military who look down on the power of machinery, thinking that it is a miraculous trick brought by the God of Machinery, and they will all be eliminated sooner or later when they completely conquer hell.
Hummelton, however, doesn’t think so.
As an Imperial Navy officer who works with steam engines every day, he knows very well the incredible power those machines possess!
The energy contained in the white mist is no less than the extraordinary power——
If they can be used on cultivated land, this group of lizard people living on the continent of Janna may be more powerful than they imagined!
Teach was slightly startled, not expecting that Hamelton would interpret the tractor as a metal puppet.
But after he thought about it, it seemed that there was no difference if he understood it this way. In the end, he just nodded without making any corrections.
Hamilton fell into intense thinking, silently assessing the weight of this piece of information and the pros and cons of cooperating with the Gutav United Kingdom.
At least for now...
There is no harm in establishing a good relationship with this powerful kingdom. After all, at this juncture, they have no spare capacity to open up new battlefields.
As for the future...
Let’s talk about the future.
He cannot decide the future strategic direction of the empire for the big figures in the Holy City. He can only make what he thinks is the correct judgment at the moment.
Thinking of this, his expression condensed and he said solemnly: "Your Excellency, Baron, when you come this time... In addition to visiting Prince Colin, I also have an important matter that I want to discuss with him. This matter is related to the supply of the empire's front line, and I hope you can convey it to him for me!"
Tich swallowed and nodded as usual.
"Your Excellency, General, please speak."
Hamlton's eyes swept over the sumptuous food on the long table, looked at Teach again, and said in a firm and urgent voice.
"The previous storm that swept across the vast ocean severely disrupted our shipping order on the eastern coast of the New World. Not only were civilian routes affected, but military supplies were also severely affected! In order to solve the supply shortage, I make a formal request to you on behalf of St. Ilburg - we hope to purchase a batch of grain from you, no matter where the grain comes from."
Teach took a sip of the rum in the cup and asked calmly.
"How many?"
"The more, the better!" Hamelton said without hesitation, "We will take as many as you have!"
St. Ilburg has over 100,000 troops stationed there.
And on the eastern coast of the New World outside St. Ilburg, there are hundreds of imperial military fortresses, large and small, and more than a million troops are in urgent need of supplies!
As long as the voyage for transporting food can be shortened as much as possible, the saved transportation capacity can be allocated to weapons resources.
This is a very simple mathematical problem.
The more the better...
Looking at General Hamelton with sincere eyes, Teach was speechless for a moment. He did not expect that he would suddenly make such a request. After a long while, he scratched his cheek with his index finger and said.
"This... I have to discuss this with His Highness the Prince, but our port capacity is limited and I'm afraid it cannot support large-scale shipping——"
This should be a good thing.
But he was not sure whether Deadwood Port had the ability to take over.
"That's easy to say," General Hamelton saw his embarrassment, but he laughed, looked at him and continued, "To show our sincerity, the garrison of St. Ilburg can help the Port of Deadwood build a deep-water port! According to the standards of the imperial military port!"
Help us build a deep-water port? !
Ti Qi was stunned for two seconds, and then looked at him in surprise, grinning from ear to ear in surprise.
"This...are you serious?!"
He knew that the Imperial Navy had a high degree of independent decision-making power in the New World, but he did not know that the power in the hands of these generals was so great!
This is simply pie in the sky - oh no, it is clearly a gold mine!
Looking at Baron Teach who was so surprised that he could not open his mouth from ear to ear, General Hamelton nodded solemnly.
"There is no joke in the army, of course I am serious!"
There is still a large amount of surplus materials to rebuild the Port of Saldo, including professional port construction personnel.
In any case, temporarily repairing the port will not be of much use. The only advantage is a group of businessmen who only think about themselves and not the empire at all. It is better to move some of the transportation capacity and materials to another colony of the empire - Deadwood Port on the Janna continent.
At least this can help the Imperial Navy solve the immediate problem.
It can also strengthen the trade cooperation between the empire and the Kingdom of Gutav, and strive to include the latter into the empire's tribute system.
The rear headquarters asked him to get through the difficulties easily, and this is the way he came up with to kill two birds with one stone!
"Great!" Tiqi clapped his thigh excitedly and promised immediately, "As long as you can solve the transportation problem, I can guarantee that every cargo ship you leave from here will be filled with dried corn! By the way, corn is no problem, right?"
No problem !" Hamelton said with a smile, "Our soldiers are not picky about food, and corn is also one of our staple foods."
He was originally worried that the lizard people in Janna continent had a strange diet, such as eating dried rats, insects or strange wild fruits, but now it seems that they are no different from the empire?
staple food is also grown here!
Teach had a relaxed smile on his face, nodded and said.
"That's good."
There happens to be a lot of old grain left in the barn of the Holy Ankylosaurus Kingdom, and it has now been inherited by the newly established United Kingdom of Gutav.
That is, after all, the granary of tens of millions of lizardmen. Considering that the lizardmen eat twice as much as the average young and middle-aged human, it is more than enough to squeeze out a little ration for St. Ilburg.
Lumir said before that he only needs to agree to the conditions that are favorable to him -
If it cannot be completed, then he will pass the blame to the lizard men.
Unexpectedly, half of the purpose of this trip has been accomplished before meeting Prince Colin himself. A hearty smile appeared on Hamelton's face, and he almost held Baron Teach's shoulder and called him brother.
The next step is to wait for Prince Colin to come back!
He had to meet the nobleman with the highest status in the empire in the continent of Janna. Many things could not avoid this mysterious prince.
In addition, port construction can start early.
The reason why he brought so many warships this time was actually to bring the personnel and materials to build the deep-water port.
The work of repairing the supply line is the top priority. He will not wait until the seal is completed like the bureaucrats in the rear.
After finishing handling the affairs at the port, General Hamelton summoned a cavalryman and ordered him to go down. At this moment, he suddenly remembered a small thing, so he spoke.
"By the way, I heard from my captain... the engineers of Gutav Kingdom seem to be very good at repairing steam engine boilers?"
"Of course, they have those things everywhere, starting from my grandpa's generation."
"Everywhere?!"
Hamelton blurted out, until he saw Teach's weird expression, he realized that he had made a mistake and coughed.
"I'm surprised...but it just so happens that the garrison fleet of St. Ilburg needs maintenance. Could you please make it easier? Of course, we will pay according to the market conditions!"
This money is paid to the Kingdom of Gutav after all, and General Hamelton was not embarrassed to say, "Brother, you see we have built the port for you, can we forget the money?"
What's more, Captain Derek said that they didn't mention the money last time, so General Hamelton was naturally embarrassed to give credit again.
Ti Qi did not take the initiative to ask for the exemption order. He was even more happy when he heard that the other party was willing to repair the ship according to the market conditions.
The quotation for boiler repair in Kumu Port is 5,000 silver coins!
"No problem! That's easy to say! I will send a messenger to the Gutav Kingdom's outpost on the mountain... How many ships do you need?"
Giving players tasks to repair ships is a side job given to him by His Majesty the Demon King——
As long as the tax is paid, this money will end up in his pocket!
General Hamelton waved his hand and said one word that made Teach's breath stop.
"There are twenty-eight ships in total, all of them need to be maintained."
He has seen the improvement in engine efficiency of the Grace. The craftsmen of St. Ilburg were also amazed after seeing it and felt it was incredible.
He wants to see if the repair engineer here is really that amazing, or if everything is just a coincidence...
As for the money?
That is something the quartermaster considers.
…
In the hinterland of the Sun Staircase Mountains, the soft sound of space distortion came from between the steep rock walls.
As the ghostly light flickered above the magic circle, a face with delicate features slowly appeared in the ordinary open space.
The acolyte standing by the teleportation array was slightly stunned. At first he thought it was a mistake.
It wasn’t until a few orcs, goblins, and strange demons came down from the teleportation array that he slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
But not long after, he couldn't help but start to worry about other things -
Are these guys really high-level demons from the Demon City?
I always feel that they are not as reliable as those guys in the maze of the necropolis...
“Boss, is this our home base in the future?”
Behind Ige, a two and a half meter tall, burly orc can’t wait to stick his head out and look around excitedly.
The thick nostrils sniffed the fresh mountain air urgently, sucking out the goosebumps on the back of Ig's neck.
“It feels good! It’s just that the facilities are a bit crude!” Another goblin stood on tiptoes and tried his best to look at the scenery in the distance.
"Not bad! After all, we have just started..."
Unlike his nervous subordinates, Ige had a nervous face, holding the strap of his backpack tightly with both hands, and looking around with vigilant eyes.
That backpack contains the core of the Demon King's Territory—the highest-level core secret in the entire hell!
Looking at this group of unserious subordinates, he lowered his voice and reminded: "Don't wander around, and follow me closely for a while! Although this place is remote, if an adventurer suddenly comes out and snatches away the core, it will be the end!"
Although the demons behind him said yes, they didn't take it seriously at all and still looked around curiously.
In addition to the orcs, goblins and demons, there are also several slimes and a group of little devil soldiers with small horns.
These guys are all the brothers Iger made while serving on the front line. They have just stepped onto this strange continent from the teleportation array.
Everyone seemed extremely excited when they thought that they would be the subordinates of the Demon King in the future, and might even be able to become a Demon General.
Isn’t this much better than being cannon fodder on the front line?
Obviously they don't know that cannon fodder is cannon fodder wherever it goes.
But right now, they don't have to worry about being attacked by adventurers who suddenly jump out. After all, Deadwood Port is just a port crowded with "refugees" - it's actually on the same starting line as their Demon King's Kingdom, which has no shadow yet, and no adventurers will come here.
"Mr. Ige."
Just when Ige felt at a loss, the acolyte on the side nodded slightly, bowed to him and said.
"I am the servant of His Majesty Luo Yan, and I have been ordered to wait here for your arrival. Since you have already arrived, please come with me."
He is not optimistic about this high-level demon from the Demon City.
It is said that the Demon King was alone when he took office, and as soon as he landed in a human town... he was never at a loss like this.
However, maybe this is the reason why the Demon King chose him.
"Okay, okay! Sorry to trouble you!" Looking at the acolyte who came to him, Ige nodded quickly, and then hurriedly called for his men to follow him.
A group of grotesque monsters and monsters were following behind a young man with fine features, making him feel happy no matter how he looked at them.
If an adventurer really passed by here, he would probably only misunderstand a guy carrying a small schoolbag as a victim kidnapped by the devil, and would not even think that there was something terrible hidden in the backpack.
A group of demons passed through several narrow canyons along the mountain road. The rocky road was filled with sunlight, and the blue ocean in the distance gradually emerged from the field of vision. The demons were very interested, and even the expression on Igor's face relaxed a little.
However, when they rounded the foot of the mountain and the port in the distance suddenly appeared in front of them, Ige's expression suddenly stiffened.
On the northern coast, I saw a series of magnificent warships moored quietly in the harbor, with the Imperial Griffin flag flying in the wind on the bow of the ship, majestic and solemn.
"...So, is that the empire's navy?" Ige's voice was obviously a little nervous, and it was obvious that he had not yet adapted to the battlefield outside the desert.
The acolyte nodded calmly, glanced at the young soldiers from the Demon City, and said lightly.
"It's Admiral Hamelton's fleet."
"Hammerton!"
As soon as they heard this name, the expressions of the demons instantly changed from nervousness to fear, especially the orc warriors who were so active just now. They shrunk their necks and the hair all over their bodies stood up.
"It's actually the Imperial Griffin Hammerton!"
"Why, how could it be him?!"
"The legendary general who defeated General Sebes?!"
"Didn't I say that this is the countryside of the empire?! What is that guy doing here?!"
Although General Sebes was suspected of releasing water in the Battle of Port Saldo, this legendary general still caused enough suffering to the brothers on the Eastern Front in the subsequent Battle of the Bloody Wasteland.
They had no chance to experience the teachings in the central region before, and fortunately they did not have the opportunity to learn the teachings.
Otherwise, based on the reliability of their leader, it is still unknown whether they can survive until now...
It is not only the cannon fodder from the front line who are afraid, but also their eldest brother, Ige, whose face is as pale as paper, and his panic eyes are like a frightened deer.
But even so, he still fulfilled his responsibility as a commander and shouted to his subordinates with force and calmness.
"You... don't, don't be afraid! Senior... I mean Master Luo Yan, he, he, he will never leave us alone!"
However, that thin body is not even half of General Hamelton's, and his generous words did not boost the morale of the cannon fodder as much as the latter.
In terms of mobilization before the war, the empire seems to have scored another point——
The demons who have just set foot on the continent of Janna have already dropped to the bottom of their morale before even seeing the shadow of the adventurer.
The acolyte leading the way smiled coldly, not taking their fears to heart, and walked ahead with a calm expression.
Originally, he still had some beautiful illusions about hell, but now it seems that these demons huddled underground have long lost their bravery and fighting spirit from a thousand years ago.
No wonder they are still being rubbed underground after so many years!
It is worth mentioning that after seeing how depraved the high-level demons were, the acolyte's faith not only did not waver, but instead became stronger.
His heart was filled with sincerity.
Without a doubt——
Bayeli can no longer save them.
Only His Majesty the Demon King, chosen by God, can save these fallen demons!