Mount and Blade Central Asia

The shaman he thought was from a primitive tribe, believed in primitive religion, and represented barbaric power, actually completely understood the existence of the dreamland!

You must know that apart from Ali, among all the other dark wizards who participated in the construction of the entire dreamland, no one else truly understood the essence of the dreamland.

At this moment, Ali could no longer regard the other party as a representative of barbaric power. The other party was not only not barbaric but extremely intelligent.

Then you didn't lose because of luck, but because of wisdom.

This realization dealt a far greater blow to Ali than the frustration of having his century-long plan ruined.

Because the thoughts that Li Rufeng conveyed to him also contained a kind of condescending look, a kind of helplessness and impatience that an adult feels when watching a child's mischief.

At the same time, Ali knew very well that this was not the other party's intention to humiliate him, but his first reaction under instinct, and the result was even more hurtful.

Of course, the other party is now going to really start humiliating him. Because he can only live forever but not stay young, Ali has always been shy about showing his body.

It is also for this reason that dark wizards gradually tend to wear black cloaks and hoods, making it clear at first glance that they are not good people.

Even the title of dark wizard has a lot to do with their attire. Those dark wizards who have better taste in clothes and are more knowledgeable about the ways of the world are generally made into court wizards, serving the sultans and emirs.

Finally, when the soldiers began to look for the stairs leading to the second floor, Ali made a decision - he used the remaining power of the dreamland to transfer his soul and consciousness to the spare body that had been prepared long ago.

As for the decayed body left in the wizard tower, Ali snapped his fingers and it burned up.

Chapter 579 The tree wants to be quiet

"Sir, this is all we found." When the sky brightened, Marcelino walked up to Li Rufeng, carrying a dirty rag bag. "When we saw him, he was still in human form, but with a handful of it, he turned to ashes. There's not even a big bone left. He was burned thoroughly."

Li Rufeng shifted his attention to Misia. Apparently, for a dark wizard, it was a bit too difficult to identify someone through a handful of ashes.

"Maybe this is indeed Shavay's body, but I can be sure that he is not dead." Misia looked at the handful of ashes with some complexity. It was undoubtedly an irony that a dark wizard who was once so powerful was now put into such a tattered bag.

"Since we can't be sure, let's kill Yang. He owes it to this city." Li Rufeng took a look at the strategic map, which showed the entire view of Mosul city where the clouds and mist had cleared away and there was no longer any obstruction. He knew that the black wizard must have escaped.

After all, even a third-rate guy like Azadirim can use the resurrection trick, not to mention that this dark wizard has made such a big fuss now, and his level is unknown.

The good news is that the tower masters of the other two towers, which had never appeared before, had been deserted at some point, and Li Rufeng's soldiers took over all the wizard towers without any hindrance.

The bad news is that although the dark wizards have come up with a lot of new things, most of these technologies require the support of dream power to be used normally.

Without the power of dreams, these things look like children's building blocks, not even a basic framework.

Even with a defector like Misia, Li Rufeng could only find a few usable items from a pile of junk like picking up scraps.

For example, on the second floor of the South Tower, there is a magic circle that is speculated to be used to grind limestone minerals. Although it lacks the assistance of dream power, it is a complete magic circle after all.

Misia felt that she could further improve it in a few months and use more traditional dark wizard methods to replace the effect of dream power.

On the other hand, the valuable item that Li Rufeng first discovered in the city of Mosul, the liquid food called maintenance liquid by the dark wizards, has also been found.

The device used to produce the maintenance fluid is in the North Tower controlled by Misia. Misia knows the entire process. According to his description, that thing is more like a technology that accelerates the fermentation reaction, liquefies the food, and proliferates it at the caloric level.

To Li Rufeng, this is what is fucking called the power of miracles!

The former is turning mud into stone, and the latter is the art of making food. In comparison, the things those dark wizards are pursuing are simply disgusting. Only the dreamland looks a bit interesting.

Of course, Misia couldn't understand Li Rufeng's feelings for the time being. After all, in his opinion, anyone who was alive and maintained self-awareness was unlikely to be interested in those maintenance fluids.

Because that thing is really too difficult to swallow, even slaves cannot eat the maintenance liquid on their own while awake.

However, Li Rufeng has decided that from now on there will be no maintenance liquid, only "kvass", a liquid bread from the bitter cold land in the far east. Although the taste is a bit strange, it is the direct answer to solving the problem of food and clothing.

Misia didn't care what the thing was called. It didn't matter if Li Rufeng wanted to call it Jinkela.

The problem is that the device for making kvass, like the cement magic circle in the South Tower that still needs to be improved, are both mysterious objects left by Shawai.

To others, including Misia, these two things are technological black boxes that can only be used with limited modifications. It is almost impossible to expand production or replicate the process.

To put it bluntly, if they are destroyed one day or their natural lifespan expires, Li Rufeng will lose these two vital products.

But considering the sources of the dark wizards' technology, Li Rufeng estimated that there was a high probability that Shawai was also completely clueless about these two technologies. He knew the facts but not the reasons behind them.

Moreover, thinking about so many things in the future will only add to the trouble. What Li Rufeng needs to do now is to use these two products as efficiently as possible.

Cement is undoubtedly the best material for humans to transform nature and strengthen their defenses against natural and man-made disasters.

Taking the county town of Mosul as an example, we started construction of four wizard towers simultaneously over a period of six months. The scale of these wizard towers is definitely much larger than any mosque of the same period.

According to the current level of productivity, a Muslim country with Mosul as its core and ruling over several cities in the surrounding area would need about two years to complete a mosque if the weather was favorable and the government was harmonious.

The Nur ad-Din Mosque with its leaning tower was completed under such circumstances, and it also left the Sultan with a reputation for piety in later generations because their construction progress was indeed fast.

This comparison is enough to show how much influence cement has on the history of human architecture.

As for kvass, the data given by Misia is that the device can process 15 tons of grain per week, and the liquefied grain will become about 17 to 18 tons of liquid.

This amount of kvass can meet the minimum survival needs of 27,000 people sleeping in Mosul for 20 days. If the consumers maintain normal human activities, this amount will be further reduced.

But even so, through simple calculations, Li Rufeng was able to conclude that kvass, as a food, has at least ten to fifteen times the calorie content of ordinary wheat.

In addition, kvass is easy to preserve and difficult to spoil.

Anyway, Misia himself had never seen those things go bad. Most of the time, after he made the kvass, he would directly let the slaves move it to the warehouse.

At that time, the dream demon will run back and forth, take out the kvass, and deliver it mouth to mouth to those who are sleeping.

Because the Nightmares themselves are born in the dreams of these sleepers, they rarely miss anything unless it is intentional.

Li Rufeng was very satisfied with this food. In his previous life, someone was trapped in a mine and relied on a bottle of Coke to survive for five days and five nights. If you replaced the Coke with bread, he would have starved to death. This is the importance of calories.

With kvass, Li Rufeng even dared to boast that from now on no one would starve to death in the territory he ruled!

Of course, if you consider the taste of kvass itself, that's another story.

Li Rufeng believed that this thing could make any lazy person become diligent. Just as Misia said, no one could survive for a long time relying solely on kvass while in a conscious state.

The above two things are just the spoils that Li Rufeng received in the field of miracle power, but in the real world, an entire city became Li Rufeng’s spoils!

This is a large city with intact buildings, almost all the residents survived, and basically no damage from the war. It also has an excellent location.

In addition to wealth in the traditional sense, Li Rufeng's human resources alone allowed him to leap from a warlord to someone who could call himself a sultan.

Because of years of war, this land is barren everywhere. Only cities and the "cultivated land" around them are valuable properties.

Before the great conqueror combed through the land of the Bey Kingdom, many countries here only had one city, but Li Rufeng now had as many as six cities, large and small.

In addition, he also has a castle and a town!

Previously, Li Rufeng had been extremely aggressive in order to fight this war, almost draining the human resources in the territory and slowing down the development of almost all areas except farming.

And now, if Li Rufeng stops the war, he will face the embarrassing situation of insufficient military strength compared to the vast territory under his control.

Of course, before a new foreign enemy invades, it is all happy trouble.

Li Rufeng only needs to continue to win over the Aries and Armenians and keep pressure on the Black Sheep, which will be enough to make the Black Sheep overwhelmed.

As for issues further east, they will require politics and wisdom to resolve.

Just as Li Rufeng did not dare to directly raise the banner and call himself Sultan or any other title, those Iranian emirs had to exercise restraint if they did not want to become the target of public criticism.

However, Li Rufeng didn't know yet that Sayib, whom he sent to communicate with the former Khanate's subordinates, and Hilterberg, who went to northern Armenia to negotiate with the Armenians, both had their own plans and were making a huge fuss...

Chapter 580: Tide Riding

"I am Mustafa Urartu! The ruler of Erzurum! Everything you eat, use and live in are provided by me, so I should be the supreme commander of the coalition forces!" Mustafa smashed the table with his wine glass in frustration.

He was already a little drunk, as this was a banquet attended by Armenian nobles from all over the country who had raised troops to aid Erzurum.

For the Armenian mountain people who rarely go out of the mountains, such a grand event has not happened for many years, so the Urartu family also feels honored.

However, differences of interest arose among the parties at the banquet, and the situation quickly became heated.

"We don't agree! Edorad of the Sharabi family is more virtuous. We have come so far not to obey your orders and become your vassals!" Hefferson, who was a bandit leader not long ago, openly opposed Mustafa's display of authority at the party as Hiltberg taught him.

Others may not have deeper thoughts, but as reinforcements, they obviously do not want to change from saviors coming from afar to those who are inspired. This is the difference between supporting roles and protagonists!

Anyone with eyes can see that this time the Black Sheep people are ready to push down the wall when it falls.

The Aries, Mongols, and the emirs of the Khanate are all ready to go. If they don't want to miss this opportunity to cut the cake, they'd better take the initiative.

"Heferson!" A tipsy Edorad Sarabi shouted with a hint of pride at the knight whom he had wanted to keep a distance from, but now he began to think that the other party was a talent.

There were seven Armenian nobles who brought people to support Erzurum this time. The number of soldiers he brought was not the largest, and his status was not the highest.

But Adorad is the youngest, and he is the most suitable choice to "overestimate his own abilities" and oppose the Urartu family.

"But we have come from afar for the justice in our hearts and for peace with the Armenians. You cannot force us under your command for this reason." Adorad glanced at the other noble lords and found that they were all nodding with satisfaction.

Adorad couldn't help but smile. After inheriting his father's title, what he lacked most was prestige.

As a mountain lord, Adorad was only too happy to trade Urartu's favor for the favor of other mountain lords.

"Young Sarabi, I still remember your father. He is an experienced old man, but you are still a fledgling and don't know how to deal with cunning enemies..." Mustafa frowned slightly. He knew that this young man was pushed out to be the first to take action, but he still couldn't help feeling a little angry in his heart.

Over the years, as the bridgehead for the Armenians to fight against the Black Sheep People, his family has spent countless manpower and material resources, and has single-handedly supported the foreign trade window of the group of Armenian mountain lords behind them.

And now this group of people is repaying him in this way!

They are not here to help me, they are here to give me alms!

However, in the eyes of the mountain lords, the Urartu family that ruled Erzurum was a different picture.

They rely on the convenience of the city and constantly suck blood from the entire group of mountain lords to maintain their luxurious life.

Look at the banquet hall of the Urartu family. There is no such exquisite place in their family castle!

Look at the cups that the Urartu family used to drink. They didn’t have such finely carved silver cups!

Look at the fine wine and delicacies that the Urartu family brought out. These were the "emergency foods" they brought out during the war!

The Urartu family has already taken advantage of us, and now they have come here with their army to provide support, but they still want to take away all the glory?

This is the original sin of greed!

For a moment, the banquet was filled with the sound of silver wine glasses knocking on the table. Only Hilterberg, who was disguised as a retainer, watched the show with a smile on his face.

He needed an Armenian coalition army, but he wanted to have control of this army in his own hands, which required not only an obedient puppet, but also mutual suspicion among these nobles.

Although doing so goes against Hiltberg's religious beliefs, to be honest, after going through so much, he doesn't know if he still has faith.

If Hiltberg wanted, he could now board a ship back home, back to Bavaria, with no one to supervise him and no one to restrain him.

What is preventing him from returning home now is actually his own ambition. He is unwilling to go back in disgrace with regrets all over his body.

On the other side of the battlefield, Centurion Sayyib, who also chose to take advantage of the situation because of his own ambition, was also at the banquet hosted by Mushtaq, the defender of Erbil Castle.

This was the third time Sayyib had been invited to Mushtaq's banquet. The captain would only invite one centurion each time, and he would only "reveal" his true feelings after eating and drinking to test whether the other party had any rebellious thoughts.

If the other party showed loyalty to Qara ...

If the other party showed any sign of wavering in his drunken words, Mushtaq would call Sayyib to tell him his whole story from beginning to end, especially the current situation of the Black Sheep people and the threats from the east and west sides of the city.

This crude method naturally could not be hidden from the eyes of others, but although Mushtaq had more than 20 centurions under his command, seven of them were his confidants and could be completely trusted.

Half of the other centurions were deserters from the front line. If they returned to the royal court of Tabriz as deserters, the consequences could be imagined.

So Mushtaq was fearless and planned to use the simplest and most direct method to solve all the minor problems in the shortest time.

As a former enemy of the Qara Qara Qaidam, Sayyib admired Mushtaq's style very much. After all, the more tainted a person is, the more loyal he will be after betrayal.

Sayib has seen this too much in the Karaman territory. The loyal are always loyal, the selfless are always selfless, and only the traitors and the selfish have countless reasons to take the path that best suits their own interests.

Sayib made the right bet. Mushtaq was such an egoist. He didn't care who he was loyal to or whether the other party was a Black Sheep. As long as his status could be guaranteed, he didn't mind changing to a new master.

Against this backdrop, they quickly reached a consensus.

Chapter 581 A plan within a plan

At this time, outside the walls of Erbil Castle, the army from the Iranian emirs had completed all preparations for the siege. They cut down all the nearby trees and built tall siege vehicles and ladders.

Erbil Fort is a strong fortress with a long history and has experienced countless sieges, so the Iranians are also very cautious.

They knew there weren't many defenders in the castle, so they didn't want to pay too much here.

These people are here to take credit, so naturally they want to get the most credit with the least cost.

The reason they surrounded the city but did not attack was that they hoped the defenders in the city would surrender voluntarily, but it was obvious that Mushtaq was much more resilient than they expected.

Mushtaq was a very smart man. He knew that if he surrendered to those Iranians, he would not end well. Their attitude towards the Black Sheep People inherited the orthodoxy of the Khanate.

But Li Rufeng is different. As the son of a wealthy family in Tabriz, Mushtaq's family naturally has a very clear understanding of Li Rufeng.

Li Rufeng rose from humble beginnings, and he was always short of soldiers and generals.

If Mushtaq surrendered to Li Rufeng, he could negotiate terms with the other party. The only thing he misjudged was Sayyib's identity.

Mushtaq never expected that Sayyib would come alone. Faced with the threat of the Iranian Emir's army outside the city, he had to make a decision that could recover the losses for himself and his family as much as possible.

In Mushtaq's plan, he would first use Li Rufeng's name to block the Iranians outside the city. This was the first gamble, and the gamble was that the Emir from Iran would not risk a civil war with another Khanate general to tackle the tough problem of Erbil Castle.