Chapter 167: The Demands Of the Posthouse Militiamen
Kant led a group through the Nahrin Desert.
However, the journey this time was much easier than before.
It was all thanks to the camel caravan formed by 30 single-humped camels.
Without having to personally carry a large amount of supplies and water, the warhorses felt relaxed and able to walk quickly on the top of the dune. In addition, there was sufficient water and fodder, as well as a linen robe that could shade the sun. After a day’s journey, these warhorses were all quite energetic.
Very soon, they climbed over layers of dune and saw the posthouse that used to be in the sand plains.
The sky had already darkened.
The bright starlight and moonlight could not block the light that rose from the posthouse.
From the Oasis Lookout to the Stone Pa.s.s, only the posthouse here could provide accommodation and replenish the important drinking water. It could be considered an important part of Kant’s original plan, and now it had also played a great role.
They immediately led the camel caravan and cavalry over.
The 10 Swadian militiamen who were in charge of guarding the place had already noticed the cavalries coming from the north.
Although the night was dark, it did not blind people’s eyes.
Following the urgent shouts, these militiamen all carried heavy spears in front, wore iron-scale armor, and carried large wooden s.h.i.+elds. They lined up neatly in front of the posthouse, but they were not ready for battle.
They were welcoming Kant’s arrival.
The camel caravan and cavalries climbed down the dune. They were not slow either.
Kant rode his horse and walked in front.
These militiamen had sharp eyes. After all, as half a long-range shooter, they needed to have eagle eyes.
After seeing Kant, they hurriedly took a few steps forward and bowed respectfully. “Seeing you is like seeing the greatest sun in the world. My lord, we sincerely welcome your arrival.”
“Mm.”, Kant nodded with a smile. “No need to be so polite.”
At the same time, he got off his horse and looked at the ten militiamen. He shook his head slightly and asked Manid beside him, “When did these ten simple militiamen become so fond of flattering me?”
“I think they are right,”, Manid answered with a smile.
“Is that so?”, Kant smiled and shook his head.
Everyone loved to hear flattery, but he was not interested in it.
After all, he had lived two lives.
He had the ability to resist puffery and flattery. They could not treat him like an ordinary 16 years old n.o.ble young master. Of course, he was willing to listen to flattery occasionally to make his mood a little happier.
Seeing Kant chuckle, Manid shrugged. “It’s all because they’re stationed here.”
“They don’t like it ?”, Kant nodded in understanding.
“They don’t like it very much.”, Manid smiled helplessly. “The last time I came, they applied to me, hoping that there would be other militias to replace them. It would be best if they took turns to be on duty instead of having 10 of them here all the time.”
“It seems that we don’t have enough troops, right?”, Kant raised his eyebrows.
“That’s right, I have also explained it.”, Manid said.
After a pause, he shook his head helplessly and smiled bitterly. “These militias are probably going crazy from holding back here.”
“It sounds really sad.”
Kant shook his head and smiled. Looking at these militias with antic.i.p.ation, he said helplessly, “You guys continue to persevere. When I return to the Oasis Lookout, I will arrange for people to take turns with you.”
“Hooray!”, the militias immediately cheered.
Kant understood this.
Facing the vast sea of sand, there were only ten of them in the entire posthouse.
There was no entertainment on weekdays, and there was also no rich food to ease the growing agitation. Other than waiting for a trade caravan to pa.s.s by, hoping to learn some new things, they also hoped to be transferred out of this posthouse.
But for Kant, the ten militiamen really did not have a good area to move to.
At present, the Oasis Lookout was not too dangerous.
There was also not much area to look after. Even if there were a few accidents caused by low-level Jackalans, the newly recruited 120 desert bandits could deal with it in three weeks. Their performance was much better than these militias.
“This is also a troublesome matter.”
Kant shook his head. But after thinking about it, it wasn’t difficult to solve it.
Next was the strategic decision to develop the Senwaya Range. Let the troops bring these 10 militiamen into the depths of the mountain range to experience a few battles and upgrade to a higher level troop cla.s.s. This way, it would be convenient for them to be integrated into other troops.
With an idea, Kant felt much more at ease.
They entered the posthouse.
After the cavalries and the accompanying peasants settled the warhorses and camels, they all walked in.
Not long after, the militiamen brought out hot food.
The porridge was boiled to a pulp, the baked crispy bread and the chopped cabbage was fried with minced antelope meat. There was also a boiled egg for each person. It was quite a sumptuous supper.
It had just been made.
It was easy to digest, and it could ease the fatigue of Kant and the others.
For Kant’s comfort, the militiamen even brought a bucket of bath water from the well. After heating it, they placed it in the room prepared for Kant so that he could take a bath before he went to sleep.
Kant did not refuse.
As a feudal lord, he could not serve the people all the time with especially with his privilege.
He quickly finished his supper.
Kant returned to his room alone.
Manid was naturally in charge of taking care of the other cavalries and peasants.
The wooden bathtub was huge. Kant took a nice hot bath and washed off his fatigue before coming out. He wiped his body clean and then lay down on the soft bed to sleep.
With the wool blanket covering his body, the cold of the night could not invade.
The cavalries and the accompanying peasants also slept in their respective rooms.
After the tiring journey in the desert, it was already a happy thing to be able to rest in bed.
No one was picky.
And no one complained.
When all 10 militiamen were mobilized, they stood at the top of the posthouse and at the door, keeping watch for Kant and the others. All of them were in high spirits. Although they knew that there would not be any accidents around them, even there were only a few low-level Jackalans, but for the sake of safety, they still maintained their utmost vigilance.
Nothing happened that night.
The next day, at dawn.
Kant, who had already formed his biological clock, woke up automatically.
There were some noises outside the room. It was the sound of the cavalries who had woken up talking to the peasants accompanying them. There was also Manid arranging fresh water supplies and leaving some food supplies for the posthouse.
When Kant came out, breakfast was served.
It was not porridge that was easy to digest.
Instead, it was sliced bread and barbecued meat. As long as he ate this greasy breakfast, he would be able to stay up until noon.
The militiamen were very considerate.
They even helped to feed the 40 warhorses and 30 single-humped camels outside.
Everything was prepared very well.
“You all did well.”
Kant finished his breakfast and nodded in praise to the busy militiamen.
This made the militiamen look even happier.
Of course, Kant also understood what they were thinking and pondered for a moment, he said to them, “I will set up a new village in the Senwaya Range. At that time, there will be a lack of defensive forces there. I think if you don’t mind, maybe you can go there and try. Although there are dangers, there are also opportunities.”
“We are willing to go!”, the militiamen nodded one after another.
They did not care about the dangers.
Because danger often came with opportunities. Just as Kant said, if they went to the new village in the Senwaya Range, they might be lucky enough to gain a lot of experience points and upgrade to a higher level troop cla.s.s.
This was also their lifelong wish.
Doing nothing was not the pursuit of the Swadian people!
After giving a few more instructions, Kant led the group and set off again.
Manid followed behind the caravan, while the 40 Sarrandian hors.e.m.e.n rode around on their Sarrandian horses to defend the surroundings. In the next day or so, they would be on their real trekking. There would not be any posthouse anymore to provide them with accommodation and supplies.
This posthouse represented half of the journey.
As long as they could hold on for another day, they would be able to reach the Stone Pa.s.s.
They had already been through this many times and had gained experience.
Time slowly pa.s.sed, and the sun was setting in the west.
At dusk.
The entire outline of the Senwaya Range was finally revealed on the horizon. Its towering mountains were layered on top of each other. It was unknown how many mountains and valleys were hidden within it. It carried a great power that could stop the erosion of the desert, protecting the Dukedom of Leo.
The Senwaya Range was also known as the s.h.i.+eld of the Dukedom of Leo.
It was precisely for this reason, Kant led the team to speed up their journey.
Soon, they found a canyon that was as sharp as a knife. The cliffs on both sides were quite smooth. In the deepest part of the canyon near the North County, there was the Stone Pa.s.s, firmly blocking the connection between the Nahrin Desert and the Dukedom of Leo. It was the most important fortress.
The canyon seemed to have been cleaned up.
The messy trees and piles of soil had disappeared.
What appeared in front of them was a dirt road that was barely enough to travel with the carriage.
It was obvious that this was Baron Dylan had built the dirt road to ensure that Kant’s trade caravan could pa.s.s through the canyon and enter the Stone Pa.s.s quickly.
It was all done by the militias, and it did not cost much.
“Very considerate.”
Kant urged his horse forward, a slight smile on his face.
“Perhaps.”, Manid shrugged.
Both of them understood that this road could be the aid of the trade caravan, and it was also the pa.s.sage for the troops.
Since this road had been built, they might have to send people, either openly or secretly, to follow Kant and the others back to the Oasis Lookout. They would also explore the possible natural salt mines and record them on the map for future use.
Based on Kant’s understanding of Baron Dylan, of course he knew that this was the real purpose!
He would never underestimate the greed of the n.o.ble.
Soon, they arrived at the north gate of the Stone Pa.s.s.
Kant looked up and saw that there were more than 20 conscripted militias standing on top of it. Compared to when they first arrived, the security work was much better. However, when they saw such a large number of troops arriving, they were still a little fl.u.s.tered.
But they were quickly stabilized.
A middle-aged man wearing mail armor and dressed as a knight appeared on the city wall.
When he saw Kant and Manid, his face was still expressionless. Only when he swept his gaze across the 40 Sarrandian hors.e.m.e.n did he finally narrow his eyes, carrying a kind of suppressed shock.
He could see that under the linen robe of the cavalries, there were pure iron armors and the boots in the stirrups were chainmail boots.