Vol 2 Chapter 195: Timing of war

Chapter 195: The Time to Fight
Most of Aesop's hands are mine cores instead of mined stones. Not many people go to take out the stones in the mine core. The original cave savage tribes also learned the skills of miners in Duke Township, but their mastery of fire and proficiency is far inferior to that of the Duke Township miners. They are not only inefficient but also have a lot of damage during mining.
Aesop simply ordered the storage of most of the ore cores, which had been piled up like hills, waiting for the miners in Duke Town to arrive. In the eyes of many people, the miner in Duke Town is quite amazing. Taking out the stone from the core of the mine is a hammer, even better than the magician doing this job faster.
Aesop discussed with Joshua that the miners in Duke Township are now fully adopting Divine Stone, and they don't even need to pay attention to the iron smelting work they are good at. The Salem City State will send people to build houses for them, as long as the miners make their own demands. Joshua agreed, and the next day after entering Salem, he ordered the miners to start working and take out the stones as quickly as possible.
One other thing surprised Aesop. It was not just the guard squad he sent with the miners to enter the city. More than sixty miners even brought back more than sixty captives, and they were all strong and powerful plateau giants! The combat power of these miners is also too strong. If it is critical, the twelve divisions can lead the battle on the battlefield.
According to the practice of the Tianshu continent, prisoners of war will be reduced to slaves. Half of these slaves belong to the lords who seized them, and the other half belong to the kingdom and city-state, just like the distribution of loot. The warriors on the battlefield seize prisoners of war, and slaves are also personal wealth. Kingdoms and city-states have other uses for this kind of slaves. They can exchange captives on one side or ask the other to pay ransom.
Suddenly, with so many prisoners of war, Aesop's mouth crooked. Joshua gave him an idea not to dispose of prisoners of war, as was traditionally done on the continent, and told these prisoners of war that slaves could redeem themselves. As long as they work for Salem or the lord, they can pay them a part of the reward, and if this reward accumulates to the required amount of ransom, they can return them free.
Aesop froze at first, and when he came over, he laughed and patted Joshua's shoulder, "Before you guys came, some people recommended you to be the official officer of Salem City. It really is a talent!" The residents of Duke Town have always been a family of miners. I think it should be a businessmen's family. This business is too smart! Not only will it weaken the resistance of those prisoners of war, they will not dare to disrupt or slow down, and they will make their work more active and active. On the surface, it's a loss, but it's actually a big profit! "
Joshua nodded: "Yes, if anyone dares to make trouble, the calculated remuneration will be deducted, and if the exchange of prisoners of war is also arranged to the end .... If the prisoners of war are caught, this can be done .... When it comes to exchanging prisoners of war, the cost of training these giant warriors is very high. I think a giant warrior will have to change at least three prisoners of war on our side to not lose out. "
Aesop laughed: "Okay, from now on, you are the official officer of Salem. There are many specific matters, and you will help me list the rules."
At the same time as the miners of Duke Town arrived in Salem, there were two major events in the city-state. Aesop was busy on four feet and desperately needed a powerful helper. It was time to appoint Joshua as the official officer. The first major event was the formal opening of the trade lanes in the Blackfire Marsh. The thorns were cut to fill the marsh, the gravel was laid and laid with sintered dry soil, and the width could accommodate two ordinary carriages staggered. There were three stations in the marsh. Caravans to and from rest.
This commercial road was originally planned to be opened in three months, and the actual construction period was advanced by half a month. It took A month for Amon to explore a two-person wide road in the swamp. The layman of the Syrian city began to work from the entrance after Amon entered the swamp. One and a half months after Amon stepped out of the swamp, the official trade path Then get through.
With the strong support of Ge Lie, Governor Xiao Mo launched 1,500 civil husbands, all of whom were powerful and powerful men of Kong Wu. What's more worth mentioning is that these people didn't go back after finishing the business path, went directly into the Duke Plain and went to Salem. The city of Salem is short of people. All of a sudden, so many strong labors are naturally sending coal in the snow, but Aesop also cried a little.
The origins of this 1,500-plus minion are very complicated. There are hooligan proletarians in the Syrian city and the surrounding areas, bankrupt artisans, soldiers who have committed military records, and even exile prisoners, punished villains, and rogues. Many of them have been drafted into the army and received military training, but they are troublesome in their hometown, and many are regarded by the villagers as a headache.
They heard that the Duke Plain was a place full of opportunities, and the homeless man who had nothing would even become the great lord. The Lord of Salem was once a slave. Governor Xiao Mo has exiled these headache guys from the territory to Salem.
Aesop also had a headache how to manage this group of people. Joshua quickly formulated the latest city-state decree and incorporated these parts into the army, as long as they obey the city-state's management and make merits in the future. You can get the corresponding land. The city of Salem now lacks everything, that is, there is no shortage of land.
There are uncultivated fertile fields on the Duke Plains. From the two battle forts in the north to the fortresses on the edge of the Black Fire Swamp in the southwest corner, the area around 200 miles around Salem is under their control. On the sand table. Just draw a circle and you can take out a piece of land and wait for these explorers to collect it with merits. Thanks to the generosity of Pharaoh Rasis II, Amon drew such a circle on the map of the Duke Plain at the beginning, and Pharaoh "rewarded" him as the territory.
The second major event of Salem was that the battle fortresses on both sides of the road leading to the north were finally built, the divine magic array had been laid, and the city walls and fortresses had been completed. There are two things missing. One is the large number of ordinary stones placed in the positions of the various arrays of the divine magic array, and the other is not so many soldiers stationed. After the duke town's miners came, they took out the missing stones within a short time, and the magic circle was finally able to operate at any time.
These two fortresses can house nearly a thousand soldiers, and there are warehouses for hoarding various materials, which can be maintained for a long time. Each has a magical array that can protect the fortress when it is opened, and can launch a counterattack under the control of the magician. This is designed by Amon and Link, referring to the magical array of Memphis and Barron. . Although it is only a small-scale fortress, it is surprisingly expensive.
One thousand five hundred civilians officially came to Salem, so that the residents of Salem had a scale of more than 7,000 people. Excluding old and young women and children and craftsmen who must keep working, about 3,000 soldiers could be organized during the war. Almost to the point where the entire population can be soldiers.
Aesop sent a thousand soldiers to the two battle forts, each with five hundred men. This was the largest standing army he could send. Others in Salem can't completely go out of production. They usually have to open up wilderness, smelt fine iron, hunt various monsters, raise livestock, and process supplies. Only when the war begins can they pick up weapons and become city-state soldiers.
Salen now has a thousand standing troops stationed outside the city, and there are still 2,000 reserve forces in the city. It usually takes time to conduct assembly exercises, which is barely equivalent to the size of a corps. There is no shortage of leading talents. At the time, the main generals of the Anju-Arakan legion of the Aegean Empire were all in Salem.
The leader of the An-Ra legion is Amon, the chief priest is George, the former commander is John, and the guard leader is Medanzo. He was also a newly-designed army that was just formed recently, and was trained by Amon to become an elite division. Now under the leadership of John and George, Salem seems to have experienced a reincarnation and repeated what happened in the An-Ra legion. The thirty-six guards that John brought to the Duke Plains have become generals of Salem, and are usually responsible for performing military formations in turn.
On the day the fort was built, the Salem Legion was also established. Unlike the legions in other parts of the Tianshu continent, the Salem Corps did not have a special priesthood post. The leader of the regiment directly led the priests to cooperate with frontline soldiers. Amon is already a on the altar. He is currently under cultivation in the Garden of Eden. Naturally, he will not be a legion leader. Medanzo is also practicing in the Garden of Eden. He cannot be on the battlefield for the time being. The commander is still John.
Although George and John had experience in forming and training the An-Ra legion, they knew very well that the current Salem legion could not be compared with the An-Ra legion at that time. Although the An-La Legion was a newly formed army at that time, it was a regular legion of the Aegean Empire after all. It had 5,000 formal legionnaire fighters, all of whom were at least first-level warriors.
The Salem City Corps has only a thousand standing troops and two thousand reserve forces, of which nearly a thousand are not warriors. On the other hand, the total number of An-Ra army corps plus logistical military personnel reached 20,000 during the war. Salem did not have so many non-combatant logistical personnel to support it, and to a large extent it relied on commercial supplies.
George and John had never even commanded such a weak legion, and they faced the elite giant legion of the Assyrian kingdom. Unlike the high-ranking generals, the people of Salem are full of confidence to win, largely because of the prestige of God Amon, who was a great general of the great powers of the nations. Invincible.
Fortunately, it was just the time when the business channel was opened, and the replenishment of personnel and materials was timely. Xiou really gave face, he organized a huge caravan, followed behind Lulu Fu, and entered Salem the first time the road was opened. Aesop personally greeted at the border of the Black Marsh, greeted the old man and his caravan into Salem, and hosted a banquet in the city's main residence.
Siou looked with emotion at the magnificent Salem city. His former slaves have become expensive. This is a place full of wonders. No wonder so many homeless explorers have entered the Duke Plain in search of dreams and opportunities! He drank too much at the banquet, and finally drank Aesop ’s shoulder and said,
Aesop, you are now the owner of the city! Think of me, I ’ve worked hard for so many years to fight for the title of a noble It's all cut out. "
Aesop advised: "Master Xiou, you also look at others. The businessman who did business with you at the time, who is richer than you now? You have already been named as Deputy Director of the City State Property Agency. It ’s more than before. There are fewer businessmen like you on the continent, so take it easy.

The Lord of Aesop actually called him Master Siou again. The rich businessman was excited to fill several glasses of wine: "I just sent you a few emotions when I saw you. Usually this heart is very peaceful, otherwise I Can it be so fat? Is it easy for me to do business to this extent? Have you ever seen someone who personally crossed the desert to collect the accounts, we only knew Amun when we were in danger in the desert, no, it is Amon God! "
Aesop laughed: "Yes, you really do better than others, and you pay more than others, so your business is also bigger! I was really surprised to see you this time. I didn't expect you to Bring the caravan in person. "
Siou patted the fat on his breast: "Isn't this my style? I want to inspect business opportunities in person, not to mention the call of God Amon, how can I just send a guy?"
Aesop asked again: "Master Siou is really capable, so many armored weapons and war horses brought in at once, how did you get through the border?"
Sioux replied somewhat proudly: "War horses are easy to handle, because you have to travel long distances. Each carriage is equipped with a few more horses, and you can mix the war horses. As for the weapons and armor, don't forget that I am also the logistics needs of the An-Ra army Officials, naturally, there is a way. The Dick Lord of the Strait City State and the An-La Legion at the border are also very respectful. I paid enough customs duties and they let it go without careful inspection. As for the Syrian City State, it was more cooperative, and Ask me if I need to buy another batch of supplies nearby! "
Aesop stood up and said to the cup, "Master Sir, I respect you! You have solved the urgent need of Salem, and it's true. We will soon start a war with Marduk in the north, and there is a serious shortage of logistics personnel. That business path is important and requires your continued strong support. "
Siou also stood up and drank the glass of wine: "Cheers for God Amon! I also have a hope that opening a business in Salem and waiting for the victory of this war is my victory."
Aesop nodded immediately: "No problem, I will now issue the paperwork, specify the best location in the city, and immediately send someone to build your shops and warehouses. You don't need to worry about it yourself, just do business."
...
The battle is imminent, Amon is still working in the Garden of Eden, and Perrin Rose is still building a space magical array. Except for Medanzo, Gabriel, and Moses, everyone else in the Garden of Eden has returned to Salem. Medanzo temporarily lost his power, Moses could not enter the Duke Plains, and Amon did not want Gabriel to participate in the war.
The two fortresses north of Salem each had five hundred soldiers stationed there, and the magical array could be operated at any time, but to exert the full power of the array, two great magicians needed to preside. Raphael just caught up and volunteered to help out and defend one of the forts.
Raphael is not a warrior on the battlefield, but hosting a large array in the fortress is quite satisfactory. Yunmeng also requested to go together. In the same fortress with Raphael, it is said that he can take turns hosting the magic circle in a fierce battle. In fact, It is also uneasy to Raphael's security. The Iron Beastmaster is now a beautiful girl. She is also a great magician.
Aesop originally wanted to send Yunmeng to another fortress, but Yunmeng would be with Raphael, George and John would stay in the city of Salem to preside over the situation. It was impossible to find another great magician. Had to look at Link for help.
As soon as Link saw the scene, he took the initiative and said with a smile, "Master Aesop, now that you and George are commanders, let me be yours and send me to guard another fortress."
All preparations for the war had been arranged, and Aesop sent a letter and one thing to the Philistine of Enril. The letter told the Philistines that the people of Duque had reached the city of Salem and asked him to meet in person in the city of Salem. But the Philistine would never come, because the letter also said that one hundred giant soldiers such as Goliath had been wiped out, and there were now sixty-two prisoners.
If the Philistines come to the city of Salem, please bring the ransom to redeem the prisoners of war. Each person is twenty stones! And in the name of Enril, he vowed never to invade Salem. The giant soldiers under his command could accept Salem's employment and continue to mine fine iron and stones in the mine. Salem would also pay half of the salary.
The thing sent with the letter was a large painted wooden box containing Goliath's huge skull, which had not been rotten after divine and medicinal treatment, and still could see the horrified expression at the time of death. Aesop knew that as soon as the letter and wooden box were delivered to the Philistines, war would begin immediately.
The slave-born city owner has been trying to stop the outbreak of the war. He wanted to delay it as long as possible, but now he actively chose the time to start the war because Amont wanted to explain his words. Amon was a general of the Aegean Empire, commanded thousands of troops, and studied various war books under the guidance of Maria. He specifically said to Aesop before leaving Salem--
"Some people think of war as business, but the battlefield is definitely not a business field. It is possible that both parties will make a profit in business, but on the battlefield, the soldiers on both sides will only be killed or injured, more or less. I know you have been building up strength, Salem is far from strong enough, but you have to remember that there is a kingdom behind the enemy's Enril god, your strength is growing, and your strength is also growing.
If war is inevitable, the most appropriate time is not when you think you are strong, because by then, the enemy may be much stronger. You have to choose the time when the strength of the two sides is the most favorable. This is the opportunity for the weak. The outcome is unpredictable, but if you decide to meet your fate, don't be afraid beforehand, and don't regret it afterwards. "
So Aesop chose to go to war when everything was ready and the morale of the people reached its zenith. His letter seemed to tell the Philistine: "You chose this war, but the war will not proceed as you will. "