Pivot of the Sky

Most of Iso's hands are mineral cores, not mined stones, and not so many people specialize in removing the stones from the core. The original Cave Wildlings tribe also learned the mining techniques of Duke Town, but the fires and proficiency they possessed were far from being as efficient as the Duke Town miners' tribe, and were damaged in large quantities during mining.

Iso simply ordered most of the minerals to be sealed, already piled up like hills, awaiting the arrival of the miners in the town of Duke. In the eyes of many, the miners in Duke Town were quite amazing, taking the stone out of the core was a hammer, even faster than the magician did the job.

Iso consulted with Joshua that miners in Duke Town were currently doing their best to adopt the Divine Stone, without even ignoring the work they were good at in smelting fine iron. Salem City State will send people to build houses for them as long as the miners make their demands. Joshua promised that the day after entering Salem City, the miners would be ordered to begin work and take out all the stones as quickly as possible.

Another thing that surprised Iso was that it was not only his guard team that accompanied the miners into the city, more than 60 miners had brought back more than 60 prisoners, but also a powerful plateau giant! This group of miners is too powerful to fight, if the critical juncture is reached, the Twelve Soldiers Division can also lead the battlefield.

According to the practice of the heavenly pivot continent, prisoners of war will become slaves, half of whom belong to the lords of the warriors who capture them, and the other half to kingdoms and cities, like the distribution of spoils of war. Warriors on the battlefield capture prisoners of war, slaves are also personal property, and kingdoms and cities possess such slaves for other purposes in exchange for prisoners on one side or for ransom on the other.

With so many prisoners all at once, Iso's mouth was twisted. Joshua gave him an idea not to dispose of prisoners of war like the traditional practices on the continent, telling them that slaves of prisoners of war could redeem themselves. As long as they work for the city of Salem or the Lord, they are paid a portion of their remuneration and are free to return it if it accumulates the amount of ransom demanded.

Iso stopped at first and laughed and patted Joshua on his shoulder. “Before you came, you were recommended to be a registrar in Salem City State. It turns out you are talented! The inhabitants of Duke Town have always been a family of miners. I think it should be a family of merchants. This business is too smart! Not only will it weaken the resistance of the prisoners of war, they will not dare to disrupt or lazy their work, but it will also make them work harder, ostensibly lose money and actually make a lot of money! ”

Joshua nodded: "Yes, if anyone dares to make a mess, deduct the calculated remuneration, and if the prisoner of war is exchanged, it will be arranged to the end. … if war begins and prisoners of war are captured, this can be done.... Speaking of exchanging prisoners of war, the cost of training these giant warriors is huge. I think a giant warrior will have to replace at least three prisoners of war on our side. ”

"Well, from now on, you're the clerk of Salem City," said Iso, laughing. "There are a lot of specific things that you can do for me. ”

Along with the arrival of the Duke township miners' clan in Salem City, there were two other major events in the city state, Iso was busy with four feet in the air and urgently needed strong help, and it was high time to appoint Joshua as a registrar. The first major event was the official opening of the commercial corridor in the Black Fire Swamp, which opened the thorns to flatten the swamp, laid the foundation for sintered dry soil, accommodated two ordinary carriages of crossroads in width, and three other stops in the swamp for the rest of the merchants.

This trade road was originally planned to open in three months, and the actual construction period was half a month earlier. It took Amun a month to find a two-person wide road in the marshes, and the civil servants of the State of Syria started work from the entrance after Amun entered the marshes, and a month and a half after Amun walked out of the marshes, the formal business corridor opened immediately.

With the strong support of Gore, Governor Xiao Mu launched 1,500 people, all strong elderly men of Kong Wu. It is even more noteworthy that these people did not return after completing the business road and went directly into the Duke Plains and into the city of Salem. Salem City is running out of people, so many strong labor came all of a sudden, naturally sending charcoal in the snow, but Iso could not help but laugh.

The more than 1,500 civilian husbands come from complicated backgrounds, including rogue proletarians, bankrupt craftsmen, soldiers who have committed military records, even prisoners in exile, punished villains and rogues. Many of them have been recruited for military training, but they are destabilizers in their hometowns, many of whom are perceived as the scourge of headaches.

They heard that the Duke Plains was a place of opportunity, where vagabonds with nothing could even become lords, and that the city owners of Salem City State were once slaves. Governor Schommer banished all of these headaches from the country to Salem City, which is what he needed.

Iso also had a headache about how to manage the group, and Joshua soon enacted the latest city state decree, incorporating most of them into the army, so long as they were subject to city state administration and honored in the future, they would receive the corresponding land. The city of Salem now lacks nothing but land.

On the Duke Plains are uncultivated Wono, from the two battle fortresses in the north to the fortress on the edge of the Black Fire Marsh in the southwest corner, about 200 miles around the city of Salem, are all within their control, and you can draw a circle of land on the sand tray at will, waiting for these explorers to claim it with merit. Thanks to the “generosity” of Pharaoh Racis II, Amon had initially painted such a circle on the map of the Duke Plains, and Pharaoh had “given” him as a territory.

The second major event in the city of Salem was the completion of the fortress of battle on both sides of the road leading to the north, the laying of the magic formations and the construction of the walls and fortifications. There were already two shortages: a large number of ordinary magic stones placed in various positions of the theological array, and not so many soldiers stationed there. After the arrival of the miners' clan in Duke Town, the missing sacred stones were extracted within a short period of time, and the magic array was finally ready to operate.

Nearly a thousand soldiers can be stationed in both battle fortresses, with warehouses stockpiled with various items that can be maintained for a long period of time. Each has a magic battle that protects the fortress when it opens and is manipulated by a magician to strike back. It was designed by Amon and Link, with reference to the Magic Array of Dreamfish and Barron City. Although it is only a small fortress, it is also incredibly expensive.

The official arrival of 1,500 civilian husbands in the city of Salem has brought the population of the city to a size of more than 7,000, eliminating the elderly, children and craftsmen who must insist on working, and some 3,000 soldiers who were able to organize during the war, almost to the point where the entire population could be accommodated.

Iso sent 1,000 soldiers to two battle fortresses, 500 each, the largest standing army he could send. Others in the city of Salem are unlikely to perform completely unproductive manoeuvres, usually cultivating wilderness, refining iron, hunting monsters of all kinds, raising livestock and processing materials, and can only take up arms and become soldiers of the city when the Great War strikes.

There are now 1,000 standing armies stationed outside the city and 2,000 more in the city. Normally, they have had time to assemble and perform, which is barely the size of an army. Leadership was not lacking, and the main generals of the Angela Regiment of the Egyptian Empire were already in Salem City.

The Legion Commander of the Ann La Corps was Amon, the main cleric was George, the former commander of the line was John, and the SS Commander was Medanzo, who had also just been formed as a miscellaneous army, trained by Amon as an elite division. Today, under the leadership of John and George, it is as if the city of Salem has gone through a cycle of repetition of what happened in the Legion of Ann-La. The thirty-six guards that John brought to the Tucker Plains have become generals of Salem City and are usually in charge of rotating the army formation.

On the date of the fortress, the Salem Legion was also established. Unlike the Legion in other parts of the Tianhu mainland, the Salem Legion did not have a dedicated position as the main cleric, and the Legion Commander directly led the clergy to cooperate with the front-line fighters. Amon is already a god in the altar and is currently studying in the Garden of Eden. Naturally, he will no longer be a Legion Leader. Medanzo is also practicing in the Garden of Eden, temporarily unable to enter the battlefield. The Legion Leader is George, the main priest of the city state, and the former Front Commander or John.

Although George and John had experience in the formation and training of the Angelan Legion, it was clear to them that the current Salem Legion could not be compared to the Angelan Legion of that year. The Angela Legion, though a short-lived miscellaneous army, was, after all, a regular Legion of the Ecumenical Empire with 5,000 official Legion fighters, all of whom were at least first-degree samurai.

The Salem Legion, on the other hand, has only 1,000 standing armies and 2,000 reservists, nearly a thousand of whom are not samurai. On the other hand, the Ann-La Legion, combined with the total number of logistical munitions personnel, reached 20,000 during the war, and Salem City did not have that much non-combatant logistical support and relied heavily on commercial replenishment.

George and John had never even commanded such a weak legion to fight, and they faced a legion of elite giants from the Assyrian kingdom. Unlike the senior-level general's attitude, the people of Salem City were filled with confidence in victory, largely because of the prestige of the Amun God, who was the great general of the mighty kingdom, almost invincible.

Fortunately, the opening of the business corridor coincides with the timely replenishment of personnel and materials. Theo was a disgrace, he organized a huge merchant group, followed by the roadman, and entered Salem City the first time the road was cleared. Iso greeted himself at the crossroads on the edge of the Black Fire Swamp, welcoming the old master and his merchants into the city of Salem, and hosting a feast in the main house of the city.

Theo looked at the magnificent city of Salem with emotion. His former slaves had become the owners of the city. This is a place full of miracles. No wonder so many wandering adventurers entered the Duke Plains in search of dreams and opportunities! He drank a bit more at the bar and finally held Iso's shoulder and said, "Iso, you are now the owner of the city! Think of me, having fought so hard for so many years, even for the title of a nobleman. ”

Iso consoled, “Lord Theo, look at others too. Who is richer than you now, the businessman with whom you did business? You have been named deputy director of the Urban State Property Agency, you have done more business than before, there are few businessmen like you on the mainland, so relax. ”

Lord Theo called him again, and this rich businessman filled him with several glasses of wine: “I just saw you and I just had a few emotions. Usually this heart is flat, otherwise can I grow so fat? Is it that easy for me to do business? Have you ever seen a man cross the desert himself to collect money? We only met Amon when he was in danger in the desert. No, it was Amon God! ”

Iso laughed: "Yes, you do do do better than others and pay more than others, so you do more business! I'm really surprised to see you this time, but I didn't expect you to bring the merchant team in person. ”

Theo slapped the fat on his chest: “Isn't that my style? How can I send only my buddies to see business opportunities first hand, not to mention the summons of Amon God? ”

Iso asked: "Master Theo is very capable of bringing in so many armored weapons and horses at once. How did you get through the gate? ”

Theo replied with some pride: "Warhorses are a good idea, because if you want to go a long way, you can mix them with a few more horses per wagon. As for weapons and armor, don't forget that I am also a logistics munitions officer for the Ann La Corps and naturally have a way out. Dick Township owners in Cape Town State and the Angela Corps stationed at the border were also very generous, and I paid enough customs clearance to let them go without careful scrutiny. As for Syria City State, it is even more cooperative, and I asked if I need to purchase another batch of materials nearby! ”

Iso stood up and served the cup: "I salute you, Master Theo! You solved the urgency of the city of Salem, to be honest, we will soon start a war with the city of Enrique in the north, the logistical munitions are seriously understaffed, that business corridor is important and requires your continued strong support. ”

Theo also stood up and drank a glass of wine: "Cheers, Amon God! I also have a hope that opening a trading house in Salem City will be a great victory for me when this war is won. ”

Iso nodded immediately: “No problem, I'll issue the paperwork now, assign the best location in the city, send someone to build your shop and warehouse right away, you don't have to worry about anything, just do business. ”

……

The war was imminent, Amon was still under study in the Garden of Eden, and Paranrose was still building the Battalion of Space Divinity, with the exception of Medanzo, Gabriel and Moses, all of whom returned to Salem City. Medanzo was temporarily powerless, Moses was unable to enter the Turk Plains, and Amon did not want Gabriel to participate in the war.

The two fortresses north of Salem City are staffed with 500 soldiers each, and the Grand Prix of Divinity is ready to operate, but two Grand Prix masters are required to perform all the power of the Grand Prix. Rafael caught up and volunteered to help guard one of the fortresses.

Raphael is not a warrior on the battlefield, but presiding over the Great Battle in the fortress is the norm. Cloud dreams also ask to go with him. In the same fortress as Raphael, it is said that he can preside over the Divine Arts Battle in turn in the fierce battle. In fact, he is also not reassured of Raphael's security. This Iron Armored Beast King is now a beautiful girl, and she is also a great magician.

Iso wanted to send Yunmeng to another fortress, but Yunmeng was going to be with Raphael, and George and John were going to stay in Salem City to preside over the big game. He couldn't draw out another great magician, so he had to look at Link for help.

As soon as Link saw the scene, he said with a laugh: "Lord of Iso, now that you and George are commanders, take me as your subordinate and send me to guard another fortress. ”

Everything was ready for war, and Iso sent a letter and a thing to Enrique's owner, Philistine. The letter tells Philistines that the people of Duke Town have arrived in Salem City and asks him to meet them personally in Salem City. But Philistine will never come, because the letter goes on to say that Goliath and a hundred other giant soldiers have been completely overthrown, with 62 prisoners.

If Philistine comes to Salem City as a guest, take with you the ransom for the prisoners of war, each of whom is twenty stones! And swore in Enrique's name that he would never go into Salem City State, that his giant soldiers could accept Salem City's hire, continue to mine fine iron and magic stones in the mine, and that Salem City would pay half of its wages.

The item sent with the letter was a large, painted wooden box containing a huge head of Goliath. It had not been decomposed by divine surgery and drug treatment, and it could still be seen in the panic of death. Isaac was well aware that the war would start as soon as the letter and the wooden box were delivered to Philistine.

The slave-born city owner, who had been trying to stop the outbreak of the war and delayed it as long as he wanted, had chosen the time of the war on his own initiative because of what Ammont had said to him. Amon, who was a general of the Ecumenical Empire, commanded thousands of armies and studied all sorts of books at Maria's fingertips, deliberately said to Iso before leaving the city of Salem -

“Some people think of war as a business, but the battlefield is definitely not. Doing business is also likely to be profitable for both sides, but on the battlefield, fighters on both sides will be killed and wounded, more or less. I know you've been accumulating strength, and Salem City isn't strong enough, but remember, there's a kingdom behind the other Enrique, and your power is growing, and your power is growing.

If war is inevitable, the most appropriate time is not when you think you are strong, because by then the enemy may have become much stronger. This is the opportunity for the weak to choose when the power of both sides is best contrasted. How winning or losing is unpredictable, but if you decide to embrace your destiny, don't be afraid beforehand and don't regret it afterwards. ”

So Iso chose to wage war when everything was ready and the morale of the people reached its pinnacle, as if his letter was telling Philistine: "You chose this war, but it will not go according to your will. ”

* * (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote on recommendations, monthly tickets (qidian.com) and your support is my biggest motivation.)