I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 278 Key Turning Point

"Kill, kill, kill..."

Monokuma felt like a swordfish swimming against the current, with spears thrusting from the front, dense and powerful, clanging as they struck the scales of the Vermilion Bird on his body, sparks leaping on the armor. Each thrust of the spears was like a torrential rain pounding on a tin roof.

All that remained in Monokuma's vision were the gleaming spear tips. His Vermilion Bird scales were covered in white spots, souvenirs left by the Bohemian spearmen after each all-out effort.

Monokuma remained calm. He turned sideways, slightly raising his shoulders and arms to protect his relatively vulnerable neck. He charged forward several steps, breaking two spear shafts. Then, he suddenly turned around and, dragging the longsword on the ground, made a diagonal slash from bottom to top along the direction of his outstretched arm.

Amidst the crisp sound of blades slicing through wooden poles, the six spears that had been holding back the black and white bear and preventing him from advancing were broken in the sweeping motion of the longsword.

The Bohemian spearmen, their weapons broken, cried out in alarm, but the well-trained men, though terrified, remained calm. Without their weapons, they retreated, and the spearmen behind them quickly moved to fill their positions.

Seizing this opportunity of alternation, Monokuma used the direction of the Mo Dao's swing and the potential energy brought by the weapon's weight to turn around again. The Mo Dao spun along with Monokuma's turn, unleashing a whirlwind slash.

Of the six spearmen who stepped forward to take their place, five were immediately cleaved in two amidst a spray of blood; their chainmail was as fragile as a folded sheet of A4 paper.

The Bohemians trembled as they faced the black and white bear.

They watched as the armored monster, covered in blood, spun around and sheathed its longsword, the intestines hanging from the blade still steaming.

Five comrades, cut in half at the waist, writhed and wailed on the ground, their entrails gushing out from the cuts, turning the sandy ground into a dark red swamp.

The sixth survivor stood frozen in place... because he was a step too slow in stepping forward, which caused him to be positioned slightly behind the other five. Now his chainmail and clothes were neatly cut open, revealing the intact skin underneath.

"devil."

The surviving spearmen collapsed in despair, dropping their weapons and turning to flee screaming.

The word spread like a plague through the phalanx. The spearmen at the front began to retreat unconsciously, causing the entire three-row spear formation to sway like waves. Some were tripped and immediately trampled underfoot by their comrades.

It's now!

The Han and Tang warriors following closely behind the black and white bear did not waste or miss the opportunity. They immediately raised their Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) and charged forward in twos and threes in small triangular formations. They braved the enemy's spears and entered the attack range of the Mo Dao, then raised their swords and slashed at the enemy.

The Han and Tang warriors unleashed a steel whirlwind within their formation, turning the Bohemians' superior formation into a fatal weakness... Their dense positioning made it impossible for players to dodge every slash; with a single strike, a life could be claimed.

The three rows of spearmen blocking the way of the Black and White Bear were quickly routed by the Han and Tang warriors. Even their company commander was killed by the Black and White Bear. They finally collapsed completely, dropped their weapons, and ran away.

Monokuma watched them flee, sighed slightly, and raised his hand to stop the Han-Tang warriors from chasing after him.

There's no need to pursue them, and there's no point in pursuing them. Monokuma has already tried it. This is the fifth group of Bohemian spearmen he and his men have defeated. Judging from their gray uniforms, they are Bohemian reserves, a semi-professional unit.

Their mission was clearly to delay their own advance and exhaust their energy; chasing them would only lead them into the Bohemians' trap.

Monokuma, with his strategic vision, believed that instead of scattering their own forces, it would be better to search for and support allies who had disappeared.

The heavy infantry player has been trapped inside the Bohemian camp for more than three hours. The battle started this morning and ended a little after 1 p.m. The heavy infantry player had broken through the Bohemian trap formation of spearmen on both sides and musketeers in front, and even charged in to pursue and kill the fleeing soldiers.

If Monokuma had a choice, he wouldn't do such a thing. Chasing down the enemy can indeed kill the fleeing soldiers to the greatest extent, but it will also cause his own forces to be scattered. Sure enough, after the chase, not to mention the thousand heavy infantry players, even many members of the Han-Tang warrior headquarters got lost.

There are only about fifty Han-Tang warriors still following behind the black and white bear, and they only have one tiger-squatting cannon.

What can so few people do?
Monokuma had no idea either. He could only lead the others like headless flies, running aimlessly through the vast maze made of tents, wooden fences, trenches, barricades, and curtains, heading towards the sounds of battle, trying to reunite with the other players.

But often, by the time Monokuma arrives with his men, the players who were fighting have already disappeared, leaving behind only corpses scattered on the ground... Bohemians.

Faced with this situation, Monokuma could only sigh and continue leading his men forward. However, this time he was unlucky. After taking only two steps, he ran into a group of swordsmen and arquebusiers who ran out from around the corner ahead, and another skirmish ensued.

……

Meredith was running away, and running away in a very disheveled state.

"Chase him! Catch that guy in the blue officer's uniform, he must be a high-ranking officer!"

"Fire! Fire!"

"Pfft!"

An arrow flew from nowhere, its sharp, chilling whistling sound whistling through the air as it passed in front of Meredith and struck the back of a cuirassier standing in front of him.

The cuirassier who was clearing the way for Meredith fell forward without a word and collapsed to the ground.

The cuirassiers surrounding Meredith immediately stepped forward, bent down, placed their hands on the fallen man's neck, touched him, then stood up, took his place, and continued to clear the way for the guard squad.

Seeing this, Meredith, who was jogging quickly, marveled at the power of the musket. From the back of the fallen man, it was just a small hole that had been pierced, and no blood had even flowed out. But the body inside the breastplate might have been torn open with a bloody hole the size of a bowl.

Meanwhile, the cuirassier was also unlucky, as he was shot in the back. If it had been from the front, his cuirass would have deflected the arrow.

Then, my luck ran out. I was hiding in the deepest part of the military camp, but the enemy still managed to break in and almost killed me... Well, I might not be able to escape now.

Meredith hurriedly glanced back at the enemies chasing him.

They were three burly men wearing full plate armor, yet moving with incredible speed, equipped with two-handed greatswords, shield hammers, and axe spears.

Protection and agility are the enemy. This statement also applies to plate armor. Plate armor that allows people to run is usually a thin, decorative type of armor, while plate armor that can withstand medium to long-range fire from arquebuses and withstand the blows of warhammers is heavy plate armor.

Heavy plate armor generally makes it difficult for people to run, or even if they can run, they certainly can't run very far.

However, the three chasing Meredith were different. They ran incredibly fast, and their plate armor was so thick and sturdy that it could deflect lead bullets... Meredith knew this because when he was attacked in his own tent, he instinctively drew his flintlock pistol and fired at one of them in the chest.

Then, with a clang, Meredith saw a bullet ricochet through the tent, and a beam of light shone down, illuminating the enemy's head and making him appear so imposing... He was still holding an axe-spear.

So Meredith turned and ran, tearing open his tent with his sword and fleeing without a second thought—a decision that was undoubtedly correct. Meredith was so unlucky that he began to suspect that General Otto was holding a grudge because of what had happened before and had deliberately let the enemy in today so that he could be killed on the battlefield.

That's a possibility.

"Sir, run this way!"

Ahead, a major raised his hand to summon Meredith. On his right hand, a warhorse stood quietly. Upon seeing this, Meredith was overjoyed and quickly ran a few steps, leaping nimbly onto the horse's back, a move that seemed completely out of character for his white-haired appearance.

"Good Major, what's your name?"

Before fleeing on horseback, Meredith didn't forget to turn back and ask for the name of the major who had covered his retreat. In his mind, the latter was doomed. The major and a dozen or so cuirassiers would surely be torn to shreds by those three terrifying plate-armored monsters.

It's definitely a matter of how long it takes.

"Sir, my name is Popori!"

The major shouted.

“Tell my family that Popoli Alfonso is not a coward!”

After shouting, Popoli drew his longsword, turned around, and led his men to charge towards the three foot knights.

"Good man!"

Meredith watched Popoli's retreating figure with admiration, memorized his name and family name, then turned the reins, urging his warhorse to gallop away, preparing to flee the military camp that had become a battlefield.

However, what Meredith didn't know was that after he left the scene and couldn't see what was happening, Mr. Popoli did something very bold.

He knelt down in front of the three plate-armored knights with a thud, threw his weapons on the ground, and shouted loudly as he and his men raised their hands high.

"Stop! I know Prince Chris; we're business partners..."

Believe it or not, Popoli's actions and words actually worked, stopping the three fully armored players who were rushing over, ready to attack.

It was simply because one of the three happened to be an old player who had followed Chris from Niyama to Bagnia back then.

"Popoli!?"

The veteran player stopped in surprise, lifted his helmet, and took a serious look at the face of the shouting Bohemian Major. He recognized the NPC and even helped him up from the ground. Because of some things, the veteran player still had a good impression of Popori.

"What are you doing here in Bagnia?"

When asked about this, Popoli, who had stood up, had a complicated expression on his face, full of sighs. His once dashing mustache had turned into a scraggly one, and his personal image had changed drastically. Veteran players wouldn't even recognize Popoli unless they got close.

"There's nothing I can do. I am a soldier and an aristocrat after all. General Otto is the leader of the aristocratic faction I belong to. Since he is coming, I have no choice but to bring my men with me."

"Who is this old guy?"

It's normal for new players on one side not to recognize Popoli, because they joined the game later, by which time Chris had already established himself in Bagnia.

Aside from those who meticulously analyze the plot, who would care about an NPC who doesn't appear in story events or even in daily life?

"Popoli, a gunpowder smuggler who works with Chris. About a third of the gunpowder we use now comes from him."

"Oh."

The other two players immediately understood: this old guy was their gunpowder supplier and a mole within the Bohemian Empire. He couldn't be killed; he had to be protected.

"Alright, let's go. Don't stay in the camp. There are our people everywhere. It's too dangerous for you to stay."

Two new players stepped forward, patted Popoli on the shoulder, and waved for him to leave with his followers.

However, at this point, Popoli looked around to make sure there were no outsiders nearby before leaning close to the veteran player's ear.

"Hey bro, I know where the military armory is..."

As a major arms smuggler on the Bohemian/Bagnia border, Popoli amassed a fortune in the first year of his business that was unimaginable to ordinary people, or even minor nobles.

Especially in the latter half of this year, after Chris smoothed things over with Hygrand, allowing smuggling convoys to use the official channels between Bohemia and Baghnia, the volume of smuggling skyrocketed.

Besides gunpowder, the two sides also engaged in smuggling trade in cloth, weapons, armor, medicines, and sugar products...

Chris needed a buyer for the spoils he obtained from defeating his enemies, as well as his own output, and Popoli happened to be a perfect candidate, with a vast market behind him.

By the latter half of the year, their smuggling activities had become almost public, with a trade convoy passing through Hegland almost every two days.

Popoli, who made his fortune as the richest man in the province through smuggling, was absolutely unwilling to see a war break out between Bohemia and Baghnia.

Regardless of who these two countries are fighting, as long as they are not at war with each other, the trade between Popoli and Chris can continue. However, once a war breaks out, the trade between the two sides will have to stop.

Therefore, Popoli hated General Otto intensely, but he couldn't openly express these feelings because Otto was the leader of his faction.

However, this doesn't mean that Popoli wouldn't do something to speed up the war if he saw an opportunity.

The empire lost?

It doesn't matter, as long as the war can be ended as soon as possible and Popoli himself won't die, anything is fine.

(End of this chapter)