Chapter 278

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Protagonist:

Chen Yi

Early the next morning, Muse left the West River Water Fortress and took up residence beside the gorge piled with corpses. Although the stench was foul and the environment filthy, it was safe after all. Whether it was the Ma La team or the Temple cavalry, neither would likely pass through this place.

He hired a large batch of laborers with a few conch shells and dug out over 1,000 corpses in a single day, then loaded them onto boats and sent them to Ma La.

Whatever Damas was plotting, Muse knew perfectly well that he had to finish his own business first to wash his hands of it. Colluding secretly with the West River Water Fortress could yield benefits and get things done for less money, while incidentally embezzling a portion; finishing his own business could win recognition from the Elder Council, and only then would he have the qualification to compete for a Knight's title. As for helping Damas conceal the news — since Damas didn't care about his life, why should he help hide it? A Knight Order Grand Knight and he had no superior-subordinate relationship.

Muse was a rather self-centered man, an outlier among Knights, so even though he tried desperately to curry favor with the High Priest's male favorite, he failed to secure a Grand Knight nomination. This trip to the West River Water Fortress was a crucial opportunity for him, so even with the threat of battle, he had not the slightest intention of retreating. Moreover, he summoned those Knight Attendants and declared loudly: "No matter what happens, we must persist in our mission and bring these warriors who died on the battlefield back to the city-state for burial."

Whether true Knights or fake Knights, under such righteous and awe-inspiring words, they had not the slightest power to resist. Anyone who said "I'll go first" right now would surely be stripped of their Knight qualification upon return, unable even to serve as a Knight Attendant, forced to become a wild cavalryman. So whether from genuine nobility of character or fear of losing their interests, everyone stayed at the West River Water Fortress or the gorge, single-mindedly intent on digging out every corpse. Even the Knights who went to Ma La by boat, after some corpses were delivered, remembered to rush back, lest they be branded as cowardly deserters.

Of course, this also had to do with their lack of fear of war. Modern people run at the mention of battle; Knights charge at the sound of war drums. When the time comes, even the most sordid Knight does not fear death.

Muse didn't have to dig up corpses himself; he spent all day studying them. He also wanted to know how Chen Yi and the others managed to kill heavy infantry in batches. The sailors who returned to the city-state that day were mostly oarsmen, huddled in the hold and lucky to escape with their lives; they knew nothing of what happened on the battlefield. The fleet's Flag Bearer was an even bigger fathead, the first to flee back, only saying the sky was full of firelight, giving the Elder Council the impression that a Mage had descended.

This is the Temple's territory; if there really were a Mage, the Inquisition would never let them off.

Muse overthought things and scared himself; looking at the rotting corpses on the ground, he instead found the latter more approachable.

Examining closely, although corpses of every shape existed, they basically all shared one common point: holes in their bodies. Some corpses had shattered bones; from the fracture patterns, one could see the power of those "bullets."

Muse carefully extracted a bullet head from a rotting corpse.

A 12.7mm heavy machine gun bullet, weighing one or two qian, made of yellow brass, undeformed after entering a human body, only the tip slightly shortened. The surrounding old laborers stared eagerly at Muse, their digging speed increasing.

"No wonder they don't ask for extra money anymore." Muse glared hatefully at the surrounding laborers. This wasn't his first time seeing bullets; yesterday inside the fortress, locals had come secretly to sell them, one bullet for one copper coin. It was said Ma La also bought back bullets at this price, so on the market bullets could even circulate directly as currency.

Killing with copper — truly extravagant!

Shaking his head, Muse also felt some fear. To kill 3,000 people, how many copper bullets would that take? Many bodies were riddled with holes, and the bullets embedded inside hadn't been removed; instead, those laborers were secretly picking copper bullets out of the bullet holes.

"The West River Water Fortress is truly rich!" Muse sighed, climbed back up to the top of the gorge, waved over Fulaosi, and said: "Watch these laborers. Anyone who dares damage a corpse — hang him!"

A sentence spoken with incomparable cruelty, and in a fairly loud voice, letting many people hear it.

Fulaosi hadn't paid attention to the laborers in the gorge at first, but hearing Muse's words, his face darkened.

Ordinary people's corpses have no meaning; peasants don't care about that. But soldiers' corpses, Knights' remains — they are symbols of honor, not to be defiled. Otherwise why would they spend hundreds of conch shells to transport the bodies back?

"All of you be careful." Fulaosi, disregarding the filth of the gorge, brought two companions down into the deep pit. The gorge, already excavated of over 1,000 corpses, had nearly reached the lowest layer of the ground.

With Knights standing guard, the laborers could only work with heads down; occasionally hiding something away depended on luck.

By evening, the remaining thousand-plus remains were all dug out, then separately loaded onto boats. Just as the laborers took their reward money and prepared to leave with profuse thanks, Fulaosi suddenly ordered: "Search them."

"On what grounds?"

"Can't let them search us."

"We're commoners, not slaves!"

"You're not West River City people either."

Hearing these words, Muse, standing at the edge of the gorge, felt both annoyed and amused, and turned to leave. He knew what Fulaosi wanted to do. From 3,000 corpses, the bullets left behind were probably no fewer than that number; some corpses even had four or five, ten or more, because that day's heavy infantry square formation was neatly arrayed, and bullets often stopped when their force was spent, remaining lodged in the bodies. Although some were taken by workers moving corpses, some were confiscated on the spot now, the laborers still had quite a few hidden away.

3,000 copper coins — that's 300 conch shells.

Even Muse couldn't resist wanting a share, let alone Fulaosi and these Knight Attendants. Gaining ill-gotten gains from commoners who got them unjustly — that didn't count as violating a Knight's oath, but should be considered punishment for the possessors of ill-gotten gains.

"They probably won't swallow it all themselves." Thinking this, Muse entered his small wooden hut, locked the door, and pretended not to know. He was the only true, bona fide Knight present, and had to mind his influence.

The laborers' resistance failed to stop the Knight Attendants' actions. As over thirty bullet heads were found on several laborers, more Knight Attendants joined in.

"Anyone who resists — hang them all!" The fully armored Fulaosi shouted.

Almost all laborers had hidden more or fewer bullet heads; if they were all hanged, they'd probably be surrounded. But Fulaosi hated these fellows who defiled soldiers' corpses, so he was unwilling to let them off lightly.

Several laborers twisting and struggling were dragged away; the Knight Attendants showed not the slightest hesitation, expertly looping hemp ropes around their necks, the other end tied to mount beasts, a clap of the hand, and the mount beasts cleverly broke into a run.

After running a circle, the three bound laborers were gasping their last; they casually found three crooked-neck trees, hung the men up, and after three minutes, they were hanged to death.

The laborers' eyes were bloodshot, yet they dared not rush forward. The Knights wore full suits of armor; even if the laborers had swords, they could hardly cut through.

Yun Shiqian, temporarily in charge of the gorge, saw this and walked over helplessly. The laborers didn't belong to West River City; if the other side wanted to search them, he wasn't willing to stop it. Actually, who wouldn't covet those copper bullets? They could be used freely on the market, and with good luck someone might even pay a high price.

But killing was a bit much. Even facing Knights, he still shouted without a trace of fear: "My lord, this is West River City's territory."

Fulaosi gave a cold snort, signaled his men to continue searching, but said no more about hanging people.

The nearly thousand laborers were not a monolith; many were nearby villagers who knew each other's roots. They dared clamor and make trouble, but not attack Knights; the latter, however, dared hang them with utter impunity. Under this enormous power gap, the laborers could only quietly hand over the copper bullets in their hands.

Of course, the dissatisfied ones openly or secretly threw them back into the gorge. Fulaosi at first kicked and punched, but later stopped caring; anyway, with so many dropped, they could just find people to pick them up again.

Delayed like this, the second day also passed. By the time preparations were complete on the third day, the entire water area near the gorge reeked of corpse stench.

"Has the armor arrived?" Muse stood on the wharf like a statue — this was his imitation of a Grand Knight's bearing. It was the pose Grand Knights struck for the commoners during Temple ceremonies, honed over ten thousand years; from posture alone, it was stunningly handsome. After all, for a sordid, rat-faced man like Muse to have a passable appearance was already remarkably difficult — as difficult as a fat pig disguising itself as lean meat.

Paitu looked worried and replied: "Only 1,000-plus sets were delivered."

"Didn't ask for money?"

Paitu gave two bitter smiles and led him to the hold.

Inside were all shattered breastplates and the like; they looked like they'd been stripped from corpses — bloodstained, and the key areas almost all had problems.

"All unusable?"

"I searched through them; barely usable ones number a dozen or so. But helmets — 38 sets, all with iron plates wrapped around them, intact."

A dozen bloodstained broken leather armors, worth at least several hundred copper coins — that's dozens of conch shells' worth of profit. Helmets priced similarly, but intact ones a bit more. Those upper villages all have their own forces, but equipment is pitifully scarce; these things should sell well.

Muse hesitated a moment, then asked: "Did anything happen today?"

"Heard..." Paitu lowered his voice: "West River City is doing some kind of martial law. Military readiness."

The city-state has dispatched troops!

Both men had the same realization, only neither spoke it.

"Take out the usable armor, free up a small boat, sell it elsewhere. Split the money among everyone." Muse knew these were Chen Yi's referral fee for his tip-off; counting the cheap money from the corpses, it amounted to being paid twice. The second time — because the news was confirmed?

Muse thought wildly: this money was far too easy to earn.

"Departing?" the captain came to ask.

"Depart." Muse walked out of the cabin and stood on the deck, gazing into the distance at the West River Water Fortress ahead.

The prosperity and flourishing here made it seem too full of youthful vitality.

In the distance came the "tat-tat-tat" of gunfire; Muse's whole body tensed, knowing it was an "Automatic Rifle," the weapon of the West River Water Fortress's sentries.

The gunfire stopped abruptly.

Then it started again, but from another direction.

"Cavalry!"

Judging position by sound is the most basic skill; at such speed, it definitely wouldn't be Heavy Infantry. Still, thinking about it, they had just lost a battalion of Heavy Infantry, and the Elder Council didn't dare consume the Temple's strength anymore.

……(Unfinished; if you want to know what happens next, please log in www. qidian. com, more chapters, support author, support genuine reading!)