Mount and Blade Central Asia

Long before Li Rufeng defeated the black wizard in the city of Mosul, the followers of the Azure Wind had already begun to show a tendency to draw a clear line between themselves and the followers of the other three evil gods, to put an end to bloodshed, and to break away from disordered behavior.

To put it in a more conspiracy-theoretic way, the reason why these dark wizards gathered so densely in a city like Mosul, and happened to encounter Li Rufeng, whom they were unable to resist, was all arranged by the Blue Wind.

He is actively isolating himself physically from those dark wizard followers who could cause the worst influence, in order to prove his sincerity in reforming himself.

In this land, the mendicant monks represented by some Sufis have allowed this transformation to a certain extent. Since the Mongol Empire, this land has suffered too many wars, plagues, and chaos secretly guided by the four wind gods, and too many people have died.

Many scholars of the religion who knew the inside story felt that perhaps it would be a better approach to take the opportunity to divide the enemy and let them consume each other, which would at least allow the creatures on this land to be cultivated.

This change, whose potential impact is uncertain, has caused knights like Haishar, who are accustomed to fighting the Four Wind Gods, to fall into great confusion.

This also made Li Rufeng feel a little difficult to accept. As a time traveler and a former staunch atheist, he was naturally wary of this kind of "foreign god".

Especially after seeing with his own eyes the world controlled by these four wind gods and the creatures who believe in them, this sense of vigilance became even more obvious. At least he wanted to wipe out the group of dark wizards.

"Muel said that the followers of the Azure Wind had previously provided a lot of intelligence about the activities of the followers of the Corrupted Green Wind, which helped us prevent the plans of the followers of the Plague to spread the plague in six inland cities in advance." Haishar said with some embarrassment when Li Rufeng asked him to go to Baghdad to investigate the whereabouts of the black wizard Shawai.

"The castle lords have reached an agreement to temporarily refrain from further action against the followers of Azure Wind and to observe their subsequent actions." Haishar sighed. "Those followers of Corrupted Green Wind have been acting too frequently lately. Everyone is afraid they will unleash another plague."

"Actually, we'll be setting off next week to build a new castle in Damascus, and Mu'el will stay here," Haishar said in a low voice, his voice full of fatigue. "I don't know what exactly happened in Isfahan, but they should have reached some tacit understanding with the followers of the Azure Wind."

Hearing what Haishaer said, Li Rufeng immediately frowned.

"Listen, brother. I need you to tell me clearly whether I can still trust the Order Eagle organization on this front in the future?" Li Rufeng asked seriously. "I don't need ambiguous answers. You must tell me clearly."

"I don't know, Li. I don't know who to trust and who not to trust." Haishar's tone had never been so weak. "But you can at least continue to trust Muel. We've worked together many times. He's a determined man. Even if Isfahan makes a decision, he won't waver."

"In fact, I suspect that he was sent out to rebuild a stronghold in Mosul just because he was too stubborn." Haishar said the last sentence and left Li Rufeng's study with a dull look.

Li Rufeng thought of the old mendicant monk he had met in Erbil Castle and what he had said: "I have tried to understand and awaken, but He is incomprehensible..."

...

"Boss, have you ever been to Baghdad before?" A new recruit ran excitedly to catch up with Renzo Piano, the leader of the Golden Sword Mercenary Group who was finally getting rich.

"Of course I've been there! Let me tell you, that's a land of gold!" Renzo Piano, noticing that there weren't many veterans around him who had fought alongside him before, immediately boasted loudly, leaving the new recruits stunned.

And those veterans who heard Renzo Piano's bragging did not stand up to expose him. After all, he is different now.

After the Battle of Mosul, Li Rufeng happily paid the commission to the Golden Sword Mercenary Group.

Although the Golden Arrow Mercenary Group did not take much spoils because they did not participate in many sieges, resulting in most people only earning their share, the mission in Baghdad that Renzo Piano received from Li Rufeng still made everyone excited.

Xiao Walad has returned to Baghdad for a month. During this period, a letter was delivered to Li Rufeng's desk almost every two days, telling him the current situation in Baghdad.

Not long ago, the businessman actually convinced the Black Sheep Governor in Baghdad that Li Rufeng had no intention of continuing to expand southward, and he relaxed his vigilance.

In order to guard against Li Rufeng's attack, the city of Baghdad has been blocked for a long time. From top to bottom, many people are calling for the city to return to normal. It is unknown how much of this is due to the influence of Xiao Walad.

The reason why the governor of the Black Sheep planned to leave the city this time was that a manor lord located in the south of Baghdad suddenly rebelled and defected to the city of Basra further south, which was still loyal to the Jalair dynasty.

That was one of the important grain-producing areas that provided food to the city of Baghdad, and it was not far from the city. The governor naturally could not allow a place so close to lose control, so he naturally had to lead troops to investigate.

But the Mongolian cavalry under Li Rufeng had already dispatched a team of a thousand people to ambush nearby. Counting the spies around the Black Sheep Governor, it can be said that everyone inside and outside the city is now waiting for the news of his death. This is the harmony of people.

If everything goes well, the Golden Arrow Mercenary Group only needs to march normally, arrive in Baghdad before the specified date, take over the city defense, and then wait to collect the money.

But there are always unexpected things happening in this land.

Chapter 634 I stand here like the king of the city

"He doesn't suspect you, does he?" Xiao Walad, standing in a courtyard of the famous Abbasid Palace in Baghdad with a hood on, looked up and asked a beautiful young woman on the second floor.

"No, he's like a wild boar. He doesn't even bother to doubt anything. He believes everything I say." The woman covered half her face with a silk fan and replied with a sweet smile, "Why are you hiding? Don't you have the final say here?"

"You know, I don't like being exposed to the sun." Xiao Valad also smiled, with a kind of high-spirited confidence in his smile.

He had endured for many years and finally waited for the day to come. The stupid governor was never a threat. What really made Xiao Valad dare not act rashly was the Black Sheep King behind the governor and the Black Sheep people's glorious military achievements.

But now the Black Sheep People were defeated by Li Rufeng. What's even more wonderful is that after Xiao Walad confirmed, the Mongolian shaman no longer had the extra power to interfere with Baghdad, which gave Xiao Walad enough space to operate in the city of Baghdad.

To be honest, if the current Black Sheep Governor had not been so stupid and violent, Xiao Valard would not have had to go to so much trouble to cooperate with Li Rufeng.

After all, in Xiao Valad's mind, Li Rufeng, who eliminated the Mosul wizard, is much more difficult to deal with than the Black Sheep Governor.

Moreover, after the first meeting between the two sides, Xiao Valad realized that the shaman lord was a very mature ruler. He was proficient in political games, good at playing power games, and also had a businessman's mindset.

This way of thinking made the shaman lord not care about short-term gains and losses. He was even willing to accept some deals that seemed to have no benefit to him, just for the sake of longer-term planning.

Shaw Walad considered himself to be such a person, so he hid in Baghdad as a businessman, secretly waiting for opportunities, instead of living in Basra and being a playboy.

But now everything is a foregone conclusion. The stupid Black Sheep Governor has left Baghdad and headed outside the city with his few Black Sheep cavalry to quell the rebellion.

Xiao Valad chose a very good target for him. The owner of the manor was a follower of Xiao Valad. In the past few months, Xiao Valad had been secretly instructing the owner of the manor to provoke the governor.

After so many times, the horny black sheep man was already full of anger, and of course the person next to him was fanning the flames.

"When you succeed, don't forget me. I have contributed a lot to your career." The woman's smile became brighter, and she showed off her charm to the fullest.

The Black Sheep Governor was the most fickle-minded and brutal, leaving women covered in scars at any time. One woman was even beaten to death, so the women around him were all in danger.

"Whether you want to take some money and run away, or stay with me, it's your choice when the time comes." Xiao Walad got the news he wanted, turned around and left through the side door. His reputation for being passionate and generous spread in Baghdad, and women all liked him.

But Xiao Valad really had no interest in a woman who had been favored by that pig. If she was sensible, it would be best if she took the money and left. If not, she could only blame herself.

Shaw Walad moved freely in this palace, which was once described by Timur as a palace that would sap one's will. The person who opened the door for him and led the way was none other than the chief steward of the Abbasid Palace. Servants and maids passing by also stopped at a distance and bowed their heads in greeting when they saw him.

This should have been his home, but now he could only appear here in this form when the real owner was not at home.

"Sir, the Black Sheep man has stored all the wealth he collected in the past few years in the military camp. Only a small part is in the treasury." The butler bowed slightly to Xiao Walad and forcefully opened a door leading to the underground. That was the treasury of the Abbasid Palace and the former treasury of the Jalair Dynasty.

Xiao Valad walked into the underground passage alone. He had been here once when he was a child, and it was his father who brought him here. The two sides of this passage used to be hung with portraits of the elders of the family, but now there was nothing.

Neither Timur nor the Qara Qoyunlu stayed here for long. Baghdad was located too far south and the land was too barren. As a political center, it was difficult to radiate its authority to areas further north.

Xiao Valad still remembered his father telling him that two hundred years ago, this place was different. Outside the city walls was not a desert, but lush grasslands and farmland...

"I will take back everything I lost..." Xiao Valad said to himself, and then pushed open another door in front of him. This door was originally locked, but apparently the pig didn't like to unlock it every time he entered his treasure room, so he simply removed this procedure.

After pushing open the door, Xiao Valad discovered with some regret that in the huge underground treasure house, there were only a few boxes placed near the door. Although the boxes themselves had locks, they were just ordinary copper locks. Even though these boxes were filled with gold and gems, the quantity was a bit shabby.

This place was once filled with amazing wealth, but unfortunately it was all taken away by the great conqueror, and the later Black Sheep people only drank some of the water used to wash the pot.

Xiao Walad pulled out a dagger and used the handle to break the lock a few times. He found that the boxes were full of silver coins. Judging from the quantity, there should be three to four thousand silver coins in the boxes, which is almost the total income of Baghdad in two days. The pig would have someone transport the money he saved to the military camp and then escort it back to Tabriz every quarter.

The last time the governor escorted money back to Tabriz was in early April. After that, his route to the north was cut off by the Mongols, so there should be a whole quarter's worth of taxes stored in the military camp now.

Xiao Walad knew everything about Baghdad. He knew that the city provided the Black Sheep People with a fiscal revenue of about 200,000 gold coins every year, but in the past three years, the amount of this money that was ultimately spent in Baghdad was zero.

Those black sheep only regarded this city as a cow that could be milked at will. They didn't care about the city itself at all. This also led to the continuous loss of population in Baghdad, and people turned to outward, giving Shaw Walad the opportunity to win people's hearts.

What Xiao Valad has to do now is to wait until that idiot dies, and then use his influence to appease the remaining soldiers in the camp. Not every Black Sheep is brave and good at fighting. Without a leader, they can be as docile as lambs.

The money will serve as Shaw Valad's starting capital, allowing him to further control the city and then bribe the mercenary groups from Mosul to serve him.

Xiao Valard was very confident about this. After all, those mercenary groups came from Genoa and they sold everything.

Xiao Valad took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and planned to go back and ask the butler to call a few people down to carry these boxes away. Today was the day he would accomplish his great cause!

but...

"Governor! Why are you back? Didn't you lead the troops to fight the rebels?" The butler's voice, which seemed a little sharp due to his excitement, came through the door and into the underground passage, instantly making Xiao Valad's footsteps freeze in place.

At that moment, he felt his blood run cold and his vision went dark. If he hadn't held onto the wall, Xiao Valad would have almost fallen down.

"Get out of here! What are you doing here?" The fat man's arrogant voice came over, causing Xiao Valad's blood, which seemed to have been frozen, to flow again.

Although he ridiculed the governor as being stupid and foolish, he was actually very cunning. He defeated several powerful competitors in the court and finally got the governorship of Baghdad.

Not only that, he was also cruel and bloodthirsty, extremely cold-blooded. Many times he would kill people as long as he had suspicions, and he didn't care about the facts at all. That's why he continued to plunder and rob in the past few years, but still kept the city of Baghdad stable on the surface.

No one dared to go against the Governor's will, even Xiao Valard behaved very submissively.

When they were only separated by a door, Xiao Valad finally realized that deep down, he was still afraid of the other person.

Xiao Valad didn't even dare to breathe now, his eyes were red and he stared straight ahead, as if waiting for the judgment of fate. Although he had a dagger, it did not bring him any sense of security, because he knew that he was no match for the governor.

"Sir! Why are you back? Did you miss me?" Another voice came at this time. It was the same woman who had been posing before. "I heard that you were back, but I didn't believe it. It must be your great reputation that scared away those rebels!"

"Hahaha, you're the only one who can talk!" The greasy voice appeared again, commanding arrogantly, "Go to my room and wait for me. I'm going to score twice!"

"Why wait a moment? A night of spring is worth a thousand gold. Let's go now, sir!" The woman's laughter was particularly harsh at this time, making Xiao Valard feel a burning sensation on his face. For a moment, he even wanted to rush out suddenly and stab the black sheep man to death with his dagger.

But in the end, all the sounds at the door disappeared, and Xiao Valad just stood in the darkness, motionless.

He could console himself by thinking that he had to remain useful, but Shaw Valad knew very well that he was just too scared.

"Sir! Hurry! I'll arrange for you to leave through the back door. Time is running out!" With a flash of light, the butler with a slap mark on his face gently opened the door and whispered to Xiao Valad inside, "That was too dangerous just now. We must make a long-term plan!"

"Yes, let's take a long-term view..." When Xiao Valad started to speak, his throat became hoarse and his steps became unsteady, as if he was dehydrated.

Chapter 635 Catch them all

Ahmed Taweel was the governor of Baghdad appointed by the Black Sheep King. He enjoyed a happy time here for more than two years, ruling with all his might.

Xiao Valad secretly called him a fool, but it was not entirely out of contempt. It was mainly because Tavel had never enjoyed such a blessing before and his daily behavior was very rude.

To give the most obvious example, the governor not only kept bulls but also several war horses in the luxurious Abbasid Palace.

In his words, I have been with these animals for most of my life, and now I cannot forget my roots. Now that I am rich, they should also enjoy themselves.

So the people of Baghdad secretly called him the Governor of Cattle and Horses, but Tawil didn't care. As a conqueror, why should he care about the sounds of real cattle and horses?

Of course he knew that many people looked down on him and thought he was a barbarian from the grassland, but so what?

Every week, Taweel would find a reason to kill a Baghdad resident, simply to prove his authority.

Sometimes the people of Baghdad were too submissive, leaving Tawil with no excuse, so he would simply draw lots to kill one of them.

Even so, Tawil felt that he was too merciful. The great conqueror had killed everyone in the city, and the schools and mosques were also destroyed. Although the succeeding governor rebuilt the city in the following years, the killings committed by Tawil were insignificant compared to that of the great conqueror.

This distressed Tawil, as he felt that the people of Baghdad did not respect or fear him.

This was the case when he went out to quell the rebellion this time. When he was leaving the city, Tawil saw the people of Baghdad standing by and watching coldly on the street, as if they were just enjoying the fun.

This made Taweel very unhappy. Ever since Mosul in the north was occupied by the Mongols, he always felt that these unruly people were going to do something bad to him.

This made him more and more frightened as he walked out of the city, and he felt that there was malice everywhere.

Tavel was a good fighter in his early years, but now he can only hold his breath and drink. As the saying goes, the older you get, the less courageous you become. Tavel decided to trust his intuition. After all, he had never had such a strong intuition in his life, so he simply retreated not far from the city.

After making love, Tavel kicked the woman off the bed and began to think about the various omens he had encountered since leaving the city today.

At first, a crow rushed towards him and almost knocked him off his horse. Because of his close cooperation with dark wizards, Tavel knew that crows were the most commonly used messengers by those dark wizards.

So he had the dead crow picked up from the ground and checked it several times to see if there was any letter on it. Of course, the result was negative.

Then Tavel's personal guard fell off his horse. He was a veteran who had fought with him for many years. Riding a horse was as natural to him as a baby eating milk. How could he fall off his horse on flat ground?

All this was a sign, Tavier confirmed this after he calmed down, and then he suddenly realized that something was wrong.

When he was feeling anxious, Tavel was in the habit of counting money in the treasury. This was a habit he developed after becoming the governor. When he was a chief, he didn't have so much money to count. The little money he had every year was just enough to buy some necessities such as salt from the passing caravans.

That's why he planned to go directly to the treasure house after he came back, but not only was the damn butler there, but the woman beside him also happened to be there?

Tavel didn't believe that such a coincidence could happen, so he shouted at the guards at the door to come in.

The woman pretending to be pitiful on the ground screamed, pulled the quilt to cover herself, and then shrank into the corner with only a pair of eyes showing, trying to see what the Governor was going to do.

"Catch her and the housekeeper, there's something wrong with them!" Tavel pointed at the woman mercilessly, then casually put on a piece of clothing, got down to the ground with his bare butt, and planned to take another look at the treasure house.

The woman froze there for a moment, then she jumped up without caring that she was naked, hanging on Tavel and begging loudly.

She knew that if Tavel knew the truth, she would surely die, so she acted a little heartbroken.

But in Tavel's opinion, the woman's face was a little hideous, especially when he was suspicious. He immediately drew the scimitar from his guard's waist and slashed the woman with it.

Although the tough and strong Tavel no longer had the bravery of the past, he still had some brute force. In addition, the guards around him were well-equipped from head to toe thanks to him. With one knife, he cut the woman in half from the left shoulder to the right waist.

Blood mixed with yellow and white internal organs splattered all over the ground with a loud splash. The woman screamed and then became motionless.

"Your Excellency has excellent swordsmanship!" The personal guard complimented her at the right moment, but he obviously did not take the woman's life or death seriously. The people in the palace were not of the same mind as them, and the black sheep including Tavel had known it clearly for a long time, so no matter how many people died, they deserved it.

If Tavel hadn't said to pay attention to the impact, they would have killed all the servants in the palace and replaced them with a new batch.

The butler didn't know at this time that he was in great trouble, but he was still writing furiously, dividing the wealth he had accumulated over the years into three parts, and planned to send someone to give them to his three children and let them leave quickly.

As a palace eunuch who had been in office during the reign of the Jalali dynasty, the butler had long been prepared to die. It was with his help that the prince, who used the alias Shaw Walad, successfully took control of the servants of the Abbasid Palace.

Even many officials outside the palace were connected with the help of the butler, allowing the secret heir of the dynasty to secretly control the city again.

It can be said that the butler has devoted himself to this heir, but the scene that just happened has begun to make the butler feel discouraged.

As the last heir to the dynasty, Shaw Valad could fail. Even his father had failed many times in his life and even lost his life, but he could not be afraid, especially not afraid of a "small character" like Governor Tavel.

But the fear displayed by Xiao Valad at that moment was real. He was genuinely afraid of the Black Sheep Governor.

This made the butler realize the reality at that moment: the deceased dynasty would never come back, and the city of Baghdad needed to welcome a new master.