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Aboard the safe ship Oshuan, he wore no mask and did not cover his face. His beautiful face was so stunning that the young drow woman felt aroused. She vaguely saw the shadow of her late husband between his eyebrows.

"No, I'm asking you about your plans for the future. Do you want to take my daughter and me and be a privateer captain in the Aegean Sea for the rest of your life?"

Aenarion did not speak. He was indeed a little confused about his future. His most long-term plan at the moment was to accumulate some strength, then lie down in the Black Sea, and help Valkia win the war of succession between Valkia and her brother, so as to obtain the more than 800 pirates.

"You have 150 men, 140 guns, 10 lead-spraying cannons, and 22 12-pound stone-throwing cannons. You are already one of the most powerful pirates and mercenaries in the Aegean Sea.

Although their numbers are a little small, the weakest Christian nobles and Governors of Allah in the Aegean Sea are not as well-armed as your troops. Those pirates have been summoned by the Ottoman Empire, or have become governors of some villages and towns, tax farmers, and have their own place.

And you are still floating aimlessly on the sea."

Looking at Aenarion's silence, Angel White slowly unfolded the exquisite map of the Aegean Sea in front of him, bent her slender waist downward, and gently touched a corner of the map with her violet fingers.

"Now, your hatred with the Ottoman Empire is getting bigger and bigger and it is out of control. In just 151 years, this newly born Turkic Empire has gone through six generations of wise rulers and built a huge empire spanning Europe and Asia.

The current Sultan Murad II defeated the Christian coalition in the Battle of Varna and killed the King of Poland and Hungary, Władysław. Hungary is in chaos, and Poland is licking its wounds at the hands of the newly crowned Ice Queen Catherine. I am afraid that it will not be able to interfere with the Ottoman Empire for decades. "

Angel White bent down, her mature and plump buttocks raised high, her round and full breasts rubbed the map quietly, and with her slender hands, she planted red flags representing the Ottoman Empire, densely covering almost half of the Aegean world.

“However, the Ottomans have a huge weakness. Except for the 16th Legion responsible for attacking Karaman, the other legions are not good at naval warfare at all. They don’t even have a few decent ships. The Ottoman navy is entirely composed of pirates, privateers, and troop transports. It does not have much naval combat capability.

Look, here, the Peloponnese Peninsula of the Spartans is surrounded by the sea, with only the Isthmus of Corinth connecting it to the Attica Peninsula in the north. The narrowest part is less than six kilometers. Since the ancient Greek era, the Peloponnese Peninsula has become the ideal rear base for many people because of its closed nature. Even if you cross the Isthmus of Corinth, you will still face the mountains of Sparta. Without a navy, the Ottoman Empire's numerical advantage and cavalry advantage cannot be brought into play at all.

Thousands of years ago, the Spartans had hoped to stop the invading Persian army at the Isthmus, and later the Achaean League also hoped to defeat the Romans there. This is the most ideal place to dominate. Unfortunately, Constantine XI's brother, Thomas, also hid here. You have already angered the Ottomans, and it is very unwise to anger the Christians. "

Angel White's finger moved eastward along the Peloponnese Peninsula.

"After crossing the Isthmus of Corinth, we come to the Athenian Peninsula of Attica. Like the Peloponnese, it is surrounded by the sea on all sides. The interior of the peninsula is mountainous, which is not conducive to large-scale military operations and cavalry operations. In addition, the geographical environment is also isolated and closed.

The Peloponnese Peninsula is connected to Sparta in the west through the Isthmus of Corinth, and the Greek Peninsula is connected to the north through the famous [Thermopylae]. Although the geographical location is a little worse than Sparta, it is also easy to defend and difficult to attack. Your relationship with the Eastern Roman Empire is not bad. As long as you hold the mountain pass of Thermopylae, you can resist the Ottoman attack with a small number of people.

What's even better is that the one occupying Athens now is the Principality of Athens, which theoretically belongs to the Italians, but is actually a puppet regime supported by the Ottomans. It is perfect as your first territory, Captain Aenarion."

"You want me to use these 150 men to attack and capture this magnificent city of Athens?"

Aenarion's eyes widened in surprise, feeling that this was a little ridiculous.

"You may not know much about Athens. Now, both the Peloponnese Peninsula of Sparta and the Attica Peninsula of Athens are in a state of extreme desolation. They are no longer as powerful and prosperous as they were a thousand years ago. Five years ago, the brothers Constantine and Thomas transformed into two giant dragons and led a thousand newly trained soldiers to conquer the Attica Peninsula and recapture Athens, Thebes and other ancient cities. Do you know how weak these two peninsulas are now?"

Angie White explained patiently.

“Unfortunately, a year later, Sultan Murad personally led the Seventh Legion: the Sultan's Fist, 10,000 Janissaries, 40,000 auxiliary troops, a total of 50,000 people, to the south of Thermopylae. The two brothers relied on the 1,000 soldiers at hand and the terrain of Athens and Sparta to hold out for a long time before being defeated.

The Ottomans retook the Attica peninsula, established a puppet regime, and plundered hundreds of thousands of people from Sparta and Athens, transporting them to Asia Minor as slaves as punishment for the two brothers, further devastating the two already desolate peninsulas.

Now the Attica Peninsula has been tossed around by the Eastern Roman Empire and again by the Ottoman Empire. Its size is not as good as it was five years ago. Moreover, Sultan Murad is ill. He will not be able to lead the army in person for at least two years, which is not enough for you to seize the Attica Peninsula and deploy defenses at Thermopylae.

If he died of illness, it would be a great opportunity given to you by God - his only child, Mehmed, was not loved by the thirteen high lords of the Diwan Council. Those high lords who held the real power in the empire even despised and hated him - you know, Murad II abdicated in 1443 and let Mehmed take over and become Sultan. Then three years later, almost all the Janissary Corps, including Mehmed himself, wanted to abdicate and support Murad II to ascend the throne again, and threw Mehmed, who had been Sultan for three years, to be the governor of Manisa and Izmir.

If he really died of this disease, the entire Ottoman Empire would surely fall into a long-term state of power struggle, and the entire country might even be paralyzed and shut down for a few years. That would be a real opportunity!"

Aenarion's reason was somewhat shaken, and his inner desires were aroused by the beautiful drow woman's few words. Since the day he met Prince Muhammad, he had fantasized that a real man should be like this. The Genoese merchants who occupied Galatia could arbitrarily impose high commercial taxes in their strongholds and suck the marrow and blood of all the merchants.

The Slaanesh tax farmers who occupied Evia could also use their power to earn a fortune in just one month by risking their lives to rob people.

A generous reward that you can't get even if you try ten times!

But he was still rational. He still suppressed the desire that was infinitely magnified by Slaanesh, and said with great difficulty: "Even so, I don't have the capital to attack Athens. With such a small number of people, it is relatively easy to capture the town of Marathon."

"My dear child, I am asking if you want it, not if you want it."

The young drow woman stretched out a finger, lifted Aenarion's chin, and stared into Aenarion's eyes teasingly - those purple pupils were burning with the fire of desire that was infinitely magnified by Slaanesh.

"Let's end this mystery. You should know that my husband, Astariel's father, is a Janissary, but his status is much higher than you think. He was the former commander of the Thirteenth Legion. After he was killed by Timur the Lame, Robert Guilliman took over and commanded the fragmented Thirteenth Legion. It took him forty or fifty years to restore it to its current size of 200 companies and people.

As his widow, I inherited all his inheritance. I placed half of it in the old house and left it to Mahmoud in a way that only my mother and I knew. I brought the other half out in a dimensional bag."

Angel White looked at the fire of desire and ambition in his eyes, nodded with satisfaction, and spoke righteously.

"This half of the inheritance was left to Astarielle by me, but this little girl has become stupid because of her bookish nature. She obviously likes you but dares not say a word, and even lets those Slaanesh things get there first.

But it doesn't matter. As long as you are willing to marry her, you will also have a share of this half of the wealth. You can use this money to raise a thousand-man army and defeat the Ottoman pseudo-regime in Athens in the name of Christ. You can become a hero of Christ and the local governor. My beloved daughter and I cannot wander on the sea with you forever."

Volume 3: The Race for Greece

Chapter 129: Recruiting Soldiers

Aenarion looked at the beautiful drow woman in surprise, his heartbeat and breathing began to gradually speed up. Although he and Astarielle were purely friends and comrades-in-arms, it was impossible for him to have no thoughts when facing this quiet and beautiful big-breasted girl with glasses.

He rescued Angel White with the intention of helping his friend's mother. After all, Astarielle's identity as a traitor was exposed and she was hunted by the Janissaries, which was closely related to him. It would be unreasonable not to save her mother who was in danger.

But now, such a huge gigolo is right in front of me?

Aenarion considered it carefully, and for a moment he paused in deep thought, before bowing with great solemnity.

"From today on, I will treat you as my own mother."

Angel White showed a satisfied smile. Astariel was a smart child, but she knew nothing about life. She had dragged on such a simple matter for two months without success, and she almost let those Slaanesh believers succeed. The stupid girl abandoned her family and career and ran away with Aenarion, but the two did not establish any relationship. It was simply stupid. Now, Aenarion was truly bound to the mother and daughter.

"Very good. It is already May 11th. I will give you forty days. On June 20th, I hope you can marry my daughter at the Governor's Palace in Athens. During this time, you can ask me for money for any equipment you want to buy or any soldiers you want to recruit."

After the beautiful Drow woman finished speaking, she gracefully left the cabin, walked back to her daughter's room with a seductive cat-like gait, and spoke lightly.

"Estariel, mother has helped you to deal with the matter. Aenarion said that he is willing to marry you. The wedding will be scheduled for June 20th, about forty days from now."

"what?"

Astariel, who was reading a book, was stunned for a moment, then she realized what her mother had done. Her fair and quiet face quickly turned red and warmed up, like a rising sun. She froze in place, her brain completely shut down, and some white mist vaguely rose into the sky.

No? Three days ago I expressed my love for Aenarion, and today you are talking about marriage with him, and even set a wedding date?

"I... am not... this too?"

Astarielle was dumbfounded and rushed out of the room to find Aenarion to ask what was going on. As a result, she ran into Aenarion head-on. When she saw the handsome face that had been haunting her, Astarielle blushed even more. Thinking that he had agreed to marry her, she suddenly became confused and ran away without asking a single question, burrowing into her own bedding like a frightened cat.

"The little girl is too shy. It's okay. I'll just teach her in a few days."

The young drow woman sighed, waved to Aenarion outside the door, and closed the door. If it weren't for Angelos's old antiques and the laws of the Ottoman Empire, she would not have wanted her children to join the Janissaries. The Turkish ogres only taught them how to fight and nothing else. After being away from them for so many years, both Mahmoud and Astariel had learned nothing except fighting, and their living skills were a mess.

Aenarion was also a little excited, looking forward to, and even afraid of his sudden marriage, but these emotions were diluted by his ambition to conquer the Attica Peninsula. He went back to ask Artemisia for her opinion, and the Slaanesh Paladin suddenly became excited.

"Eh? Then I can bully her in front of Estariel in the future?"

Okay, I shouldn't

A Slaanesh follower asking about relationship issues.

The next morning, Aenarion immediately went to the commercial district of Constantinople: Galatia, which was controlled by the Genoese, first bought eighteen 12-pound stone-throwing cannons to fill the gun room of Ulthuan. The drow woman paid the money calmly, as if such an expensive thing was just an ordinary breakfast for her. This made Aenarion deeply feel the class gap. He fought hard and looted for two and a half months to get twenty-two cannons, but the other party bought eighteen in just one second.

The Ulthuan had three decks, two cabins in the middle, and a cargo hold. There were also two towering buildings in front and behind the decks, the largest of which could accommodate 400 sailors.

Of course, if the crew members are not treated as human beings like in the slave trade, it would be no problem to squeeze in a thousand people. After all, the maximum carrying capacity of our ship is 700 tons. Zombies who do not know fatigue and rest do not need to stay in rooms. The Ulthuan can recruit 400 crew members.

After purchasing the cannon, Aenarion first used the magic conch to call Valkia in the north. When the Khorne girl heard that there was a fight, she immediately said that she would come over right away. With her achievements in killing Slaanesh, her influence in the Black Wolf Clan gradually increased. She already had two hundred Khorne raiders and one hundred Khorne shieldmaiden under her command, a total of three hundred people.

I have done a favor to the Governor of Evia, Aleli, so when I attack Athens, I will stop by there. It should not be a problem to ask her to borrow a hundred people. So where should I find the rest?

Aenarion, a death knight who relied on zombies to fill his crew, really didn't understand this, and humbly asked his mother for advice. According to the tradition of the elves, father-in-law and mother-in-law are the same as parents.

"There are three ways to recruit soldiers. First, the rule of those Turkic ogres is just a poor imitation of the Eastern Roman Empire and the Sultanate of Rum. They copied the good and the bad. Their control over the borders of the empire and the various rural areas is very weak. They basically rely on the tax farmer system. The Sultan pays one amount of tax to the tax farmer, and the tax farmer pays another amount of tax to the farmers, and they make a lot of money by taking advantage of the difference.

Of the 40% of taxes paid by farmers, 30% were taken by various tax farmers, and only 10% was paid to the Sultan - and this was for the more conscientious tax farmers. The less conscientious ones would impose higher taxes.

Anjie White patiently taught Aenarion as if he were teaching his own child.

"But the farmers had no way out. Apart from enduring the oppression, they had no choice but to flee into the mountains and become bandits."

“So, I can go to various villages and towns where Ottoman rule is weak and use the money to buy troops?”

Aenarion realized.

"That's right, but these people need to eat. You don't even need money. You can use food to exchange for their loyalty. Oh, by the way, you are used to playing with zombies. The food reserves in the ship are only enough for ten people. This is a bad habit. You have to change it."

Anjie nodded in agreement.

"Secondly, the Egyptian drow and the Turkish ogres all like to come to the northern shore of the Black Sea to plunder slaves. This place is full of blond-haired, blue-eyed Viking half-giants who came from Northern Europe, Slavic beastmen who can transform into ferocious beasts, and green-skinned orcs who ran over from Mongolia. They are all excellent labor and sources of soldiers. The Islamic world likes to import slaves from here the most.

However, if you want to return to the Mediterranean from the Black Sea, you can only go through the strait next to Constantinople - Constantinople is located at the hub of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea and the two continents of Europe and Asia, which is very critical - do you understand what I mean? You can attack Ottoman or Egyptian slave ships here, and the homes of those slaves may have been burned down when they were captured, and they have nowhere to go.

You have saved them from the fate of slavery and provided them with high salaries, so you can easily gain their support - but the premise of all this is that you can defeat the Ottoman slave-hunting team."

"Finally, just find mercenaries and pay for their services."

"Let's attack the slave ships."

Aenarion thought about it and chose the second option without hesitation. It was very doubtful how strong the peasant bandits were, but the slaves captured by the Ottomans and Egyptians from the Black Sea must be good stuff. As for the mercenaries, it depended on the situation. He might as well find out which mercenary groups were nearby.

Chapter 130: The First of the Fallen

After making up his mind, Aenarion set sail in the Ulthuan, crossed the Bosphorus, and entered the Black Sea, intending to block this necessary route, crack down on the white slave trade, and earn manpower.

Aenarion gazed at the ocean in the distance. The Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea were a cheerful and relaxed azure, while the Black Sea was deep and almost black: this was a double-layer sea with a boundary of 200 meters. The upper layer was consistent with other waters, and the salt content was even so low that it was close to fresh water, suitable for the existence of life.

But the sea 200 meters below is very scary. There is no oxygen in the sea water. A huge amount of sulfate is decomposed into highly toxic hydrogen sulfide, killing all life in the deep sea and rendering the entire Black Sea into the color of midnight.

.

Astariel blushed whenever she saw Aenarion, and she didn't even dare to look at him, but she still used druidic magic to summon a dozen green-bound eagles to scout the nearby sea for Aenarion.

Well, a slave-hunting fleet was discovered, but unfortunately they were going to the Black Sea to import slaves, and their ships had a very shallow draft and no cargo.

Hey, there is a big ship coming from the Black Sea in the north, but it is flying the flag of Genoa. The territory of these northern Italians is extremely small, often just one or two city-states, and the demand for labor is very low. They will not come to the Black Sea to import slaves, and the ship will only be loaded with animal skins, fangs and other Eastern European specialties.

"Aenarion! I found the Ottoman slave ship!"

Suddenly, Astariel saw two 30-meter-class galleys. They were flying the Ottoman Empire's red flag with a white moon, and a very strange black flag: on the black flag was embroidered a bloody sword, and six scarlet wings spread out on both sides.

"Sword with six wings, this is the slave ship of the First Janissary Legion: the Dark Angels. It's not an ordinary slave trader. The people on board may be new recruits of the Dark Angels. Do you want to give it a try?"

"Fight, why not? Is there any difference between offending two legions and offending three legions?"

Aenarion, who was filled with hatred for the Ottoman Empire, no longer cared and directly issued an attack order. He handed over the control of the ship to Artemisia and Mariana. He and Astariel, who were good at "taking the initiative against the enemy", acted as gunners. The Ulthuan pretended to be a merchant ship and moved forward slowly.

The two ships were about six or seven hundred meters apart, passing each other, one from the south and one from the north.

At the moment when the two small boats were just on the side of Ulthuan, twenty portholes were pulled upwards at the same time, revealing twenty black cannons. Under the will of Aenarion, the zombies immediately ignited, accompanied by deafening thunder and white smoke covering the sky, and blasted out 12-pound granite shells, smashing into the two galleys like a storm. The sound of the shells tearing the air was like a banshee symbolizing death, making a terrifying scream in the sky.

The Ottomans were caught off guard. The wooden structure of the ship was smashed to pieces by the solid shells flying at supersonic speeds. One unlucky man was hit head-on by a shell, and his whole body was shattered like glass under the huge impact! Pieces of broken flesh, dragging with them dripping blood, splattered everywhere.

The two cannons operated by Aenarion and Astariel fired chain bullets - chain bullets with small iron balls welded on both ends of the chain, spinning, whistling, and soaring in the flames, like two sharp black sickles. One chain bullet accurately broke the mast in half. Another chain bullet hit the side of the ship, mercilessly cutting off five or six huge wooden oars, basically destroying the mobility of a galley.

About ten shells missed the hull but fell into the nearby sea, creating huge waves eight or nine meters high. The terrifying waves spread in all directions, and the two ships that were hit were shaking. The sailors on them also fell to the ground under the huge impact, and several unlucky guys fell directly into the sea.

"Load the gun!"

At Aenarion's command, the zombies quickly pulled the cannons back from the portholes, cleaned the gunpowder residue in the barrels with special wooden sticks and animal skins, and loaded new gunpowder and shells - zombies with brains are better than those without brains. They have a certain ability to learn. It used to take 6 minutes to load a cannon, but now it is getting faster and faster, and they are becoming more and more skilled. The speed of loading ammunition has been shortened to 5 minutes.

After being bombarded, the two Dark Angel ships came to their senses, pointed their bows at the Ulthuan, and fought back with the six cannons on the bow, but the galley was only three or four meters high, while the caravel was a full nine meters high. Hiding in the ship's tower, the cannons with no elevation angle had no way of hitting the important rudder and oars, so they could only aim at the solid and thick hull and fire, and on the bumpy sea, the three shells all fell into empty space.

After a round of bombardment, the gunners on both sides began to load ammunition nervously. The helmsman was also changing the position of the ship, hoping to have a more perfect shooting environment when the next bombardment began. Mariana was at the helm, and Artemisia controlled the zombies to change the four-masted sails. The Ulthuan, which had the firepower advantage, only needed to keep the twenty cannons on the side pointing at the enemy.

The galley that was not paralyzed did not choose to flee or detour, but rushed forward headlong. Its huge and ferocious bronze ram was looming on the sea. In the age of artillery, these Ottomans still adopted the ramming tactics of the ancient Greek era.

"By the way, the Ottomans have recruited so many pirates, and they haven't learned their naval warfare skills from you, have they gotten better?"

Aenarion asked while the zombies were cleaning their gun barrels and loading chain shells.

"They want to learn, but if we teach the Ottomans the real skills of naval warfare, what will we pirates do? I don't know about other pirates, but we, the Slayer Warband, didn't teach them anything anyway."

Mariana blinked innocently, then spoke confidently.

"Aenarion, have all the zombies load their shotgun shells. Artemisia and I will work together to control the hull and sails. He can't hit us!"

"clear."

Aenarion returned to the lower cabin and ordered all the zombies to load their shotgun shells. The entire carrack, under the control of two skilled pirates, turned around on the black sea and easily

Avoid the enemy's attack.

Just as the collision was about to fail, a black shadow suddenly flew up from the galley, cutting through the sky like lightning, and rushed directly towards Mariana who was controlling the rudder. The Leopard Girl who was responsible for protecting the helmsman immediately threw the spear in her hand, but was easily dodged by the black shadow.

Mariana looked up and found that it was a Yugoslavian. He was wearing a set of Gothic classical plate armor as black as ink, a large winged helmet of the Crusader on his head, and a simple parchment-colored robe. He was holding a black sword and a black shield, soaring in the sky. His beast form was that of a soaring eagle, with a pair of more than two-meter-long black hurricane wings spreading out from his back, casting the shadow of the wings on the deck of the Ulthuan.

Suddenly, the dark angel retracted its wings, swooped down with a scream, and exploded directly on the rudder like a black meteor! Forcing Mariana to take her hands off the rudder and dodge the attack from the sky, causing the Ulthuan to lose control at the last moment and unable to avoid the impact of the enemy ship. The bronze ram grazed the stern, tearing out a series of broken wood chips.

"Where did this thief come from? How dare he provoke the First Legion?"

The dark angel slowly rose up in the smoke and dust. His burly body, clad in black plate armor, stood like a pitch-black tower on the deck of Ulthuan. His two-meter-long black wings spread out like two terrifying black flags, fluttering in the howling sea breeze.

What is surprising is that this Janissary not only wore Crusader-style plate armor, but also had a cross of Christ hung around his neck.

"Well, you two are also Slavs, and you are relatively rare leopards. I will give you a group of privateers a chance. Join the Dark Angels or die. Let me introduce myself. I am the chief recruit of the First Legion, Luther El'Jonson."

The visitor gracefully stretched out his right hand and actually tried to recruit the pirates.