Chapter 2224 - 1597: Take Me to Cuba! The Evil Demon Has Appeared
"Oh Chief Divine! The white-skinned demons’ fleet has appeared, and it’s on Brave Island, east of Haiti? Did you see it with your own eyes? Quickly, tell me! How many ships have they come with, how many people?..."
"Ah! They have many large ships, lots of four-legged beasts, and countless hard stone people!"
"Large ships? The legendary horses? And armored people?... Just how many people? How many large ships?"
"This... I... he... there are so many, many people! It seems like there are three, four palm-sized ships?..."
"Oh Chief Divine, ten to twenty large ships?! What kind of flag is on the ship? Is it four squares or just red and white?... Are you sure it’s four squares? That would be the Castle Tribe! The most evil, most dangerous faction of demons!"
Xiu Maoying squinted his eyes, immediately confirming the scale and origin of the opposing fleet. Then, with a grave expression, he focused again on the enemy’s army.
"Witnessed by the Chief Divine! What does the demon army you saw look like? How are they arranged? Specifically, how many people are there?"
"Ah! Like this, like this, so many, many people!"
Messenger Rabbit Leg was jumping with anxiety, vigorously using his arms to gesture. Xiu Maoying was also very anxious, but it was clear that this tribesperson of the Taino tribe couldn’t count at all.
Fortunately, Xiu Maoying had extensive experience in dealing with tribespeople. He immediately brought Rabbit Leg out of the hut and called out for the Kingdom’s Warriors and Taino strong men of the entire village to come out. These strong men, after two years of training by the warriors, could now somewhat line up in formation instead of being a disorganized crowd.
"Loosen the middle... a bit. Denser over here, like this... Yes! To the far left are four-legged beasts with people on top, roughly four palms!"
Although Messenger Rabbit Leg couldn’t count, he remembered that day’s nightmare vividly, likely to never forget it in his lifetime. Based on his description, Xiu Maoying arranged the tribe’s strong men into several groups, ultimately coming up with three formations.
The far left seemed to have 50-100 people, with Rabbit Leg’s gestures indicating about 20 cavalry. The middle had 200-400 people, the specific arrangement unclear, so only a rough estimate could be made. Similarly, the right side was estimated at 100-300 people. Based on this, the number of demons that appeared was likely...
"Oh Chief Divine! 350-800 people? And who knows how many more are hidden in the villages, staying on the ships... Could this batch of demons number one or two thousand?!"
Xiu Maoying furrowed his brows and had the Warrior Captain dismiss the strong men of the tribe. They didn’t disperse completely but instead formed several large circles, chatting and curiously watching the commotion. Although they had undergone long training, they had never seen blood nor fought in a real battle. Like most of the Taino tribes in Cuba and Haiti, they were always gentle Taino tribespeople, incomparable to those born into the blood-soaked Canine Descendants tribes.
"What’s your name? Rabbit Leg? That name sounds like you’re a fast runner... Rabbit Leg, let me ask you, among these demons who came out to fight you, how many are wearing armor? Yes! Those shiny, very hard stone people... What?! You’re saying every one of them is wearing armor? Gray-white reflective metal armor? All armored people? An entire thousand-man camp of armored people?!"
Upon hearing this answer, Xiu Maoying was taken aback, feeling greatly unsettled.
Looking across the entire kingdom’s sphere of influence, from Cuba and Haiti to the Bahamas, one might be able to gather a thousand breastplates and cloth bronze armor. However, the dozens of breastplates previously purchased from and seized from the Portuguese fleet, with their astonishing steel protection, were far superior to the kingdom’s cloth bronze armor!
If the demons had indeed brought a thousand-man camp of armored troops, twenty cavalry, and a dozen large ships with unknown numbers of firearms... it would mean that this demon army, upon arrival, could directly attack any kingdom stronghold aside from Iron Bay Town, as well as any major Taino tribe! Whether in Cuba and Haiti or in the Bahamas and Jamaica!
"Chief Divine bless us! This time the demons have appeared with a larger force than ever before!... Quickly! Find the patrol sailing ship docked in West Haiti! Have it carry me to the Cuban Snake Head’s Iron Bay Town!... Never mind, there’s no time! Prepare a few canoes, arrange the most skilled rowers... set off at dawn tomorrow!..."
Receiving firsthand intelligence, Xiu Maoying immediately made decisions. His elder brother Xiulote had told him many specific "prophecies" about the demons, especially concerning the demons’ "gunship," "armored people," and "knights." These were the demons’ elite forces, requiring utmost seriousness! More disconcerting was whether this large appearing demon army carried the deadly plague? That terrifying, invisible killer was extremely troublesome to guard against, and its resulting death toll was particularly grim...
"Rabbit Leg! Come with me to Cuba Iron Bay Town to see the Tomate Chief Priest!"
"Huh? Priest, reinforcements... Earth Department?..."
"Trust me, reinforcements will come! The kingdom will never stand idly by as demons gain footholds, and will surely dispatch the military! But the immediate priority is to report the appearance of demons to the Iron Bay Town in Cuba, and then inform all Taino tribes across the Eastern Sea islands! The gathering of troops and ships also takes time..."
Xiu Maoying’s gaze was sharp as he grabbed Messenger Rabbit Leg’s arm. He was the only one who had seen the demon legion with his own eyes and brought the news! Xiu Maoying had to carefully extract as much demon intelligence as possible from him. His brother had said that only by knowing enough, understanding the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses, could they effectively defeat the enemy!