HLnovel Chapter 190: Speed Battle
Chapter 190: Speed Battle
The remuneration of 510,000 gold coins seemed generous, but it was only before tax. After deducting taxes and adding the fees of the mage consultant and private accountant, the actual income was only 450,000.
The total price of these artifacts is over three hundred thousand, plus the transportation magic fee of more than eight thousand, after deducting the decimals, the total is three hundred thousand.
In this way, there are still 140,000 gold coins left. But Brother Cao sent a message through the magic network a few days ago, hoping to buy a batch of alchemy machine tools and equipment to bring back to China.
During this period, Manli made inquiries and found that manual alchemy machines were not expensive, but building a small arsenal required a lot of equipment...
In the alchemy workshop, dozens of sophisticated magical machines - psychic grinders, magic crystal drills, star punches, phantom cutters and spirit wood carvers, as well as two blazing furnaces and small arcane engines, form the cornerstones of magical crafts.
The total price of these rare equipment is probably hundreds of thousands, not to mention the heavy magic transmission costs. Undoubtedly, this is not a small amount.
The cost of purchasing the aerial war eagle, the Flying Griffin, is an astronomical figure. At present, we can only purchase some necessary equipment, such as the Blazing Furnace and the Arcane Engine, and the rest can be dealt with later.
Yu Manli spread out a parchment scroll and asked, "Your Excellency Henry, are you willing to sell these magical machines to the Kingdom of Alfran?"
Henry frowned when he saw the list in Yu Manli's hand. "I am not proficient in this kind of affairs. I need to go back and ask the court alchemist for advice."
"I understand! I look forward to your quick response. Here are 9 Star Silver Coins as a deposit for this batch of artifacts."
"No problem! I will contact the Sky Messenger immediately, transfer the funds back to our country, and arrange for them to be sent!"
"Thank u!"
Yu Manli left the Magic Cafe, thinking about bigger expenses in her mind.
The expenditure was far beyond her expectations, so she had to work harder to earn coins. After all, her remuneration depended on opportunities, and she urgently needed to make the Magic Furniture Workshop profitable as soon as possible.
Brother Cao was able to defeat the demons in difficult circumstances, and she should not be overwhelmed by difficulties.
Yu Manli regained her fighting spirit.
When the caravan crossed the border of the Aiel Forest, in addition to the elf horse teams from Shanxi and Shaanxi, a mysterious orc horse team joined in. Although everyone knew its origin, no one said much, and they all regarded it as an ordinary merchant caravan.
Today, the caravan has expanded to a thousand magic carriages, moving like a winding earth dragon through the forest road.
Whenever the caravan stopped at a place, if someone sought to trade, the caravan would gladly agree.
The most popular product is the magic tea that can eliminate fatigue and promote digestion. A pound of tea produced in Sichuan and Yunnan is worth only one copper coin locally, but in Mongolia, the price has increased nearly tenfold to one silver coin and thirty cents.
The reasons for not going through the Shanxi border are, firstly, that it is almost controlled by the shadow Japanese army, and secondly, most of the coastal provinces have been occupied by dark forces.
Tea mainly relies on the supply from Sichuan and Yunnan. It passes through the Sichuan-Shaanxi Magic Channel, arrives in Shaanxi, and finally crosses the border from Yulin.
In addition, guarding against surprise attacks by Japanese flying griffins was also an important consideration. The Shanxi border was too close to Zhangjiakou, making it an easy target for attack. In contrast, the probability of Shaanxi being attacked was at least halved.
Tea, magic salt and iron magic tools were also key commodities. In addition to the circulating star silver coins, eagle silver and rubles, barter was also popular. The Mongols often used livestock, animal skins and medicinal materials as a medium of exchange.
They were sold at ten times the price, in exchange for livestock, animal skins and medicinal herbs, which were then transported back to their original location and sold at ten times the price, making a huge profit of twenty times.
It was precisely because of such lucrative profits that countless merchants were willing to take the risk of being attacked by bandits and even endure the heavy taxes at the checkpoints in order to embark on this trade route.
Thanks to the investment of Hu Zongnan, the lord of the northwest, the guards of Baojun and Guangjun, the important passes on the Sichuan-Shaanxi Magic Road, no longer dared to make things difficult for the caravans. Although they still had to pay a certain amount of respect, the extra burden was significantly reduced.
In Shaanxi, the caravan encountered almost no real danger as it was escorted by Hu Zongnan's garrison and soldiers of the Eighth Route Army...
However, once they crossed the border, they had no time to think about anything else.
The only request for help is from Wuyuan's Iron Stone Guards - the 35th Legion.
It was for this reason that when Cao Geng established the caravan, he insisted on visiting Hu Zongnan and Fu Zuoyi in person, and generously donated 10% of the trade profits, as if he was giving away rare treasures.
In Wuyuan City, Fu Zuoyi was flipping through an ancient scroll.
Chen Changjie rushed in and said anxiously: "Yisheng, there is movement!"
"What's going on? A large group of Japanese cavalrymen are setting off! They belong to the 25th Cavalry Regiment!"
"Where is their goal?"
"They are not targeting Wuyuan directly. I suspect they are targeting Cao Geng's caravan."
"Just as Young Master Cao expected, the Japanese will never allow us to gain profit easily. Notify Lu Dahai immediately and act according to the plan!"
"As ordered!"
The first transaction involved the trust of many merchants. To ensure a smooth process, Lv Dahai, the head of the Iron Cavalry Regiment, personally led the First Cavalry Battalion to escort the caravan.
Although it was almost the end of September and the grassland was no longer as lush and green as it was in spring and summer, it was still vast and boundless.
Coming to this vast grassland from the mountainous Shanxi, the feeling is completely different.
They galloped on their horses across the grassland, their voices whistling in the wind.
This feeling of wild galloping made Lu Dahai unable to help but roar to the sky.
"This is the life of a knight! Ah...oh..."
Not only Lu Dahai, but all the soldiers in the cavalry battalion were eager to gallop freely when they set foot on the grassland for the first time.
It happened to be the patrol sentinels' rotation time, so Lu Dahai let them take turns to release their inner wildness.
People are greedy for money, birds are greedy for food!
If such a large caravan was robbed, it would be enough to prevent them from committing any more unjust acts for several years.
After leaving Yulin, two cavalry platoons were sent to patrol the surrounding area.
After all, the horse thieves on the grassland are incredibly fast, and if you are not careful, they will attack like ghosts.
However, no matter how eager you are to gallop, it cannot exceed half an hour.
After all, war horses have limited endurance, and they can easily be hurt if they are driven too hard.
After galloping for a while, Lu Dahai rode his horse back.
Just as he was leading the main force of the cavalry to protect the caravan towards Wuyuan, the messenger came galloping.
"Captain, the order of the 35th Legion!"
Lu Dahai quickly took the letter.
"Night is falling!"
Lu Dahai understood the meaning of these short words.
He immediately handed the letter to the clerk for safekeeping. It was key evidence for future verification and could not be discarded at will.
Lu Dahai decisively ordered: "Pass the order, don't go to Wuyuan, go to Urad Rear Banner instead!"
Hearing that they were not going to Wuyuan but to Urad Rear Banner, Kong Ke, the head of the Kong family caravan, immediately asked, "Colonel Lu, why don't you go to Wuyuan and go to Urad Rear Banner instead?"
Lu Dahai did not reveal military secrets to these businessmen.
There are all kinds of people in the caravan, so there is no guarantee that there are no enemy spies lurking among them.
Lu Dahai declared grimly: "Before embarking on this mysterious journey, your lord should have told you that you must follow my orders. Your duty is only to obey."
Wuyuan, that is a strange city located outside the border, and it is the hub for the trade of many alien species. If we miss this place, it will disrupt this crucial business route.
Kong Ke retorted: "But..."
Lu Dahai shouted sternly: "Silence. Follow orders. Otherwise, you will face the unknown of Wuyuan alone. If any accidents happen, I will not bear any responsibility."
Kong Ke's face turned pale and he was speechless. He suppressed his anger and immediately instructed his men to change the route and follow the cavalry troops to Urad Rear Banner.
Kong Ke did not realize that a Japanese cavalry corps was galloping towards the caravan dozens of miles away.
The 25th Cavalry Regiment of the Japanese Army, the Guze Battalion from the border town of Baotou, with 600 knights riding on majestic alien horses, was charging towards the caravan.
At first, the caravan did not notice anything unusual, but as the pace of the journey increased, the tense atmosphere gradually spread.
Even the most obtuse person could sense the approaching danger.
Kong Ke asked anxiously: "Lieutenant Colonel Lu, are we encountering animal bandits or Japanese troops attacking?"
Lu Dahai responded gloomily: "No need to ask more questions, just keep going!"
Lu Dahai's tone and expression made everyone feel uneasy.
They all quickened their pace as they had to hurry on their way.
In order to hurry their journey, the caravan became loose and disorganized.
Some people even started to flee on their own.
Just as the six hundred enemy cavalry were galloping, a scout ran up to Major Furusawa Suetoshi.
"Major! The target seems to have discovered us. They are fleeing faster and their formation is in disarray, just to escape."
Major Furusawa Suetoshi immediately gave the order: "The enemy is frightened. Speed up and chase them! We must not let them escape!"
"As ordered!"
After chasing for nearly half an hour, the outer patrol cavalry came to Lu Dahai eagerly.
"Captain, the enemy is approaching!"
Lu Dahai gritted his teeth and ordered: "Let the caravan continue to move forward, we will stay and resist the enemy!"
"Yes!"
Hearing that Lu Dahai decided to stay and fight the enemy, the others quickly took action.
The merchants now realized that disaster was about to strike, and drove their carriages away without a second thought.
The infantry battalion accompanying the cavalry battalion quickly unloaded the two heavy magic cannons from the carriages and set up a gun position between the two peaks a hundred meters away.
Eight light magic cannons are arranged in a W shape on both sides.
The infantry battalion took advantage of the terrain and set up an ambush, ready to intercept.
The rest of the cavalry quietly gathered their strength and waited for the enemy to arrive.
Soon, the Japanese cavalry brigade swept in like a storm.
They did not launch an attack immediately. On the one hand, they were observing the enemy situation. On the other hand, the long-distance charge had made their mounts tired and they needed a short rest.
Thousands of meters away, the enemy was waiting quietly, in full view.
Colonel Furusawa Suetoshi stared at the enemy and thought in his heart.
Only the enemy troops were seen, but no caravan.
Are these people delaying the Imperial Army so that the caravan can evacuate safely? ...
It took Colonel Furusawa Suetoshi only a moment to make the decision whether to challenge this mysterious enemy head-on or to quietly attack the elf cavalry of the traveling merchants.
Defeat the enemy in front of you! As long as you crush these opponents, those caravans will be like emerald wheat ears waiting to be harvested, allowing them to plunder at will!
Both sides rested quietly for nearly twenty minutes, the Japanese cavalry trying to conserve their energy, while the First Cavalry Battalion seemed to be stalling for time to buy time for the caravan to survive.
When the time was right, Colonel Furusawa Suetoshi drew his officer sword and shouted, "Charge!" Seeing the enemy taking action, Lu Dahai also responded, "Charge!"
He tapped the horse's belly lightly, and the warhorse suddenly broke into a gallop, running faster and faster, like a streak of light rushing forward.
The First Cavalry Battalion was divided into three columns, each with a distance of more than 20 steps, and rushed towards the enemy like a surging wave. The enemy cavalry regiment also adopted the same formation, and three waves of troops rushed towards the First Cavalry Battalion.
The two armies were several hundred yards apart, and the cavalry quickly pulled the trigger, and magic bullets were ejected from the muzzles of their long guns. Bang bang... A dozen knights from both sides fell off their horses. Even if they didn't die instantly, they would be buried under the horses' hooves.
After a round of shooting, the knights quickly pulled the bolt to load new magic bullets. The cavalry's special carbine had a shorter barrel, which was convenient for them to operate on horseback.
The two groups of cavalry were like two sharp spears, intersecting in an instant and then separating. This time the distance was very close, and some people could even see the faces of their opponents clearly. Bang bang... A new round of exchange of fire, the number of casualties increased sharply. Nearly a hundred people fell off their horses.
On this boundless grassland, there is no romance, no love, only fiery passion. The two cavalry units galloped at full speed, fired wildly, and competed for the best attack angle to deal a fatal blow to the enemy.
There was no close combat with swords clashing. The 1st Cavalry Battalion of the 358th Regiment was well-trained under the leadership of Lü Dahai, but their mounts were mainly Mongolian Sanhe horses and Qinghai Hequ horses. These horses were tenacious, tolerant of coarse grains, and had stable personalities.
However, compared with the scientific breeding of excellent breeds such as Don horses, Anglo-Norman horses and purebred Arabian horses introduced from Japan, they were inferior in size and strength. In addition, the feed used to raise war horses in Japan was better than that of the 358th Regiment, which made the war horses of the 1st Cavalry Battalion unable to match them.
At first, they were evenly matched, but during this short gallop, the speed of the 1st Cavalry Battalion gradually fell behind the explosive power of the Japanese cavalry. Gradually, the 1st Cavalry Battalion was suppressed by the enemy.
The front of the First Cavalry Battalion was occupied by the enemy, and some of them even crossed over, directly blocking their route. This situation forced them to turn around.
The turn slowed down the speed and the vital impact of the cavalry began to weaken. The 1st Cavalry Battalion slowed down slowly and hard, and the speed became slower and slower, and it seemed that it was about to be surrounded by the enemy cavalry regiment.
The losses of the 1st Cavalry Battalion are rising rapidly...
Lu Dahai's forehead was soaked with sweat like magic crystal, and anxiety was lingering like fog.
Damn it, why hasn’t Chen Changjie arrived yet?
The galloping mount neighed.
If we don't leave now, I'm afraid my men will disappear in this mysterious land.
Just when Lu Dahai was extremely anxious, a Japanese cavalry team from another world suddenly came into sight and rushed towards the territory of Colonel Furusawa Suetoshi.
The cavalry captain had just approached and had not had time to calm his breath when he reported in panic.
"Colonel, a huge army of Flame Knights is sweeping towards this place!"
Were you ambushed?
This warning flashed through Colonel Furusawa Suetoshi's mind.
He immediately shouted: "Retreat!"
Before he finished speaking, he gripped the reins tightly and rode the magical horse to gallop in another direction.
When the shadow warriors of the cavalry regiment saw the battle flag turn, they quickly turned their horses around and followed closely behind the colonel.
Seeing the enemy cavalry, who had just been fighting fiercely and trying to devour them, retreat without hesitation, Lu Dahai immediately shouted: "Brothers, reinforcements have arrived. Follow me and chase them, don't let those strange beasts escape!"
The situation on the battlefield suddenly changed.
The 1st Cavalry Battalion, which had been fleeing just now, was now chasing the Japanese Cavalry Regiment with all its might, trying to cut off their retreat.
Chen Changjie, commander of the 35th Army Cavalry Division, waved his witchcraft whip and shouted, "Faster, faster! We must get there in time!"
In an instant, all three parties accelerated at full speed.
The 1st Cavalry Battalion attempted to intercept the Japanese army.
The Japanese cavalry regiment attempted to break out of the encirclement before it closed.
The 35th Army Cavalry Division attempted to encircle the enemy cavalry.
At this moment, the only thing that matters is speed!