Rebel Demon King

Chapter 1220 The Darkest Hour (11)

"Number zero, you put on a black cross on a white background and an iron mask that symbolizes a pious guardian. What is it for?" Cheng Mo didn't wait for Number zero to answer, as if talking to himself, "For the idea of ​​the Teutonic Knights? Helfen, Wehren, Heilen (help, heal, guard)?"

"This has nothing to do with you, and it has nothing to do with the star gate." Zero stuffed the somewhat large Turingen sausage on the fork into his mouth, and began to chew.

Cheng Mo also filled the vodka in the enamel jar with the red star printed on it in front of him. He took a big sip, and amidst the noise of the tires, the night wind blowing and the slight sound of firewood burning, he said softly: "1189 , whether it is the Holy See or the Hohenstaufen Dynasty of Holy Rome, have high hopes for the Third Crusade, the red bearded emperor Friedrich I Barbarossa (Frederick I) led the army through the Balkan and Asia Minor, annihilated the Turkic armies that had blocked the land route westward from Constantinople for a century, crossed the difficult pass of the Cilician mountains, and entered Syria, from where they could easily enter The Holy Land. According to the plan, Redbeard will lead the coalition forces of the Holy Roman Empire, France and England there, regain the previously lost ports on the Mediterranean coast, open up the sea routes for trade and reinforcements, and then lead the Christian army to liberate Jerusalem. On a hot summer evening, when the great emperor crossed the Salefa River, he suffered a heart attack and drowned. Saladin's most feared enemy died, and the powerful army led by the vassals rushed Because they want to rush back to attend the coronation of Friedrich I's successor, his son Henry VI. Or they want to go back to defend the fief and meet the possible civil war. Only a few big nobles and high priests keep their promises, Continue to the city of Acre. The French and English Crusaders are attacking the city at this time."

"Hey~Cheng Mo" Amedeo shrugged his shoulders and said, "About the Third Crusade, the Red Bearded Emperor, Richard the Lionheart, King Philip II Augustus the Fox and Saladin, We all know this humiliating history. I don't understand what you want to say?"

Cheng Mo ignored Amedeo, "The newly arrived German Crusaders suffered heavy losses due to the extreme heat and the Akka epidemic, but the injuries were only physical blows. Richard the Lionheart hated the red-bearded vassals, so he seized them Every opportunity to humiliate these German allies who came from afar. Because of the capture of Acre, Richard the Lionheart won the immortal reputation of bravery, and the proud and arrogant Lionheart also humiliated King Philip II of France. King Philip II of France Li II returned home in anger, and most of the Germans also left, sad and disappointed. They felt that they had been betrayed by everyone, the English, the Byzantines, and the Welf family. Betrayal also led to the Third Crusade, which had the best chance of success, and ended with the retreat of Richard the Lionheart." He picked up the enamel jar, "Although during the Third Crusade, the Germans ate up Although it has suffered a lot, there is still one achievement that can be achieved, that is - the establishment of the Teutonic Knights."

"I am more familiar with this history than you, so I don't need you to tell me." Zero said lightly.

Cheng Mo smiled and said: "Then let's talk about something unknown. The establishment of the Teutonic Knights was the result of desperation. The desperation of Germany not only came from the insult of Richard the Lionheart, but also from the lack of effective The soldiers from Europa could not adapt to the local heat, because of the unacceptable soil and poor sanitation conditions, the dead could not be buried normally, so their corpses and rubble were thrown into the "Tower of the Damned" (Ak A tower in the city. During the siege of Acre by the Third Crusade, the tower was first destroyed by the Lionheart's catapult 'Bad Neighbor', and the Crusaders entered Acre from here.) The opposite ditch The Crusaders filled the barrier with rubble and corpses, and captured the city of Acre. But the victory did not bring any improvement to the situation of the Germans. The camp was filled with the stench of rotting corpses. The soldiers fell down one after another. The conventional medical units were overwhelmed and could not cope with so many patients. And the Hospitaliers favored their compatriots, the French and the English, and the sick Germans were often left untreated. This situation has reached It was almost unbearable, and the war against Jerusalem showed no sign of ending anytime soon, nor did a German monarch come to the east to ask for hospital treatment for his subjects. Therefore, middle-class crusaders from Bremen and Lübeck The soldiers decided to form their own order of hospitals for the care of German patients. The most prominent German nobleman at the front, Duke Friedrich of the Hohenstaufen family, enthusiastically responded to the plan. He wrote to his elder brother Henry VI, finally With the support of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, the Knights Hospitaller and the Knights Templar, Pope Celestine III approved them to form a new order. The members of this order will do the same medical work as the Knights Hospitaller and abide by the The rules and regulations of the Knights Templar. The new Order is the 'Deutsche Knights', the predecessor of the 'Teutonic Knights'." He paused, and said with a blank expression, "This Knights has a more ungrateful Known name - 'Knights of the German Brothers of St. Mary's Hospital of Jerusalem'."

Zero's hand trembled, and the flame in the fireplace reflected a warm light on his iron mask. His light green eyes hid in the narrow gap like a bear lurking in the dark forest.

It seems honest but dangerous.

The two people looked at each other silently diagonally across the coffee table, like a hunter and prey suddenly encountering each other, confronting each other in calm danger.

The others stared blankly at the two of them. In the end, Amedeo couldn't help but ask, "What happened to the Knights of the German Brothers at St. Mary's Hospital in Jerusalem? There are many Knights Hospitallers in the Middle Ages! Is there anything strange?"

Cheng Mo glanced at Amedeo, and replied: "This name is related to an older medical institution that was targeted by the church at that time, that is, the Salerno Medical School, the headquarters of women's medicine. The hospital established is often called 'Hospital of St. Mary'."

Amedeo said inexplicably, "What's the matter?"

"The Salerno School of Medicine is in Salerno, a seaport city in Italy, and the plague of the 'Black Death' spread from the seaport city in Italy. There are countless theories about the Black Death in history, the plague, The Mongols threw corpses, and there is another saying that the Black Death originated in Central Asia and was brought back by the Crusades.”

Amedeo, who was originally leaning on the buckskin sofa, straightened up and stared at Cheng Mo incredulously, "What do you mean by that?"

"I didn't say that the 'Black Death' was invented by the doctor organization 'Black Death', I just found some interesting things when I checked Ou Yu's information about the 'Black Death', let me tell you Share. That’s right, the reason why the Teutonic Knights want to change their name is to cut it off from the ‘Salerno Medical School’, the birthplace of the ‘Black Death’, the ‘Hospital of Santa Maria’.” Cheng Mo raised the enamel jar to Zero No. [-] toasted, "No. [-], I believe that you, as the head of the Teutonic Knights, cannot be unaware of this."

The hunter's hut filled with various animal heads fell silent instantly, and everyone was thinking about the relationship between this distant secret and the current situation.

Number Zero was silent for a while, then picked up the enamel jar on the wooden coffee table and touched Cheng Mo, he raised his head and poured the whole jar of wine into his mouth, "It's all old things, we' Teutonic The 88 Knights' have never deliberately avoided their relationship with the 'Black Death'."

Cheng Mo didn't finish the wine in the enamel jar like No. [-], but took a big sip slowly, and said when he put down the enamel jar: "No. [-], Athena is one of the thirteen demon gods. , I think you should know." He smiled, and looked at Athena beside him, "But she is also Asmodeus, one of the four pillars of the Supreme, you definitely don't know."

Before Number Zero could speak, Amedeo stood up abruptly and exclaimed, "What? Athena, are you from the Black Death?"

Athena said blankly, "Don't make a fuss."

Amedeo closed his eyes and sat down with embarrassment.

"I really didn't think of it." Zero turned his head and stared at Athena, "You still have a double identity."

"Aren't you the same!" Cheng Mo said, "Pal, the tenth demon god, the underground king of the German region!"

"Even if you know my name, this is not the reason for you to threaten me, Cheng Mo." Sitting on the tiger skin sofa, his huge body is piled up in front of everyone like a mountain. At this moment, you seem to be able to Through the not-so-thick hunting suit, he could see his rock-like muscles hidden underneath.His iron mask was shining brightly, but it wasn't warm, instead exuding a strong beast-like aura.

The others were all overwhelmed by the sudden rising momentum, and couldn't help holding their breath.Only Athena was eating roast pork knuckle as if nothing had happened.

Cheng Mo shook his head and said: "As I said at the beginning, I have a plan to discuss with you and Amedeo. The pros and cons and the situation are up to you to judge. As for joining or not, I have no intention of forcing it."

Zero glanced at Athena again, "For Asmodeus's sake, tell me, your plan."

Cheng Mo raised the enamel jar, "You know! Number zero, my goal is not the star gate." He drank the wine inside, and then said an unexpected answer, "It's the Black Death."

"Black Death? Why?" Zero sneered, "Athena? She is indeed strong, but not enough."

"As I am" Cheng Mo smiled and whispered, "The Lord of the Plague!"

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January 2024, 12, in the wee hours of the morning.

The Riyehai Political Affairs Hall in the capital.

After Xie Jili participated in the meeting led by the Daxiawan District Jinwen Bureau, he rushed back to the capital without stopping. When he arrived at the Zhengshitang by car, the square in front of the Zhengshitang, which should have been empty in the past, was still full of cars. The precarious three-story red attic is brightly lit, like a red painting boat decorated with lights in the dark night.

Xie Jili didn't wait for the bodyguard to open the door for him, he pushed open the car door by himself, braved the rain and walked quickly towards the stone steps of the white jade fence.Xu Changen followed and put the umbrella on Xie Jili's head. Xie Jili said "no" in a low voice, and walked up the steps at a faster pace. Probably because of his preoccupation, he accidentally stepped on the air, and in a series of "no" Be careful" and fell down.

Xu Changen and the bodyguard of the carrier were quick-sighted, and supported Xie Jili, so that he just knocked his knee on the steps instead of hitting his head on the white jade fence.

Xie Jili straightened up and continued walking towards the Political Affairs Hall without saying a word.

"Principal, there is no need to pay too much attention to TV news, newspapers and magazines. Maybe you should learn about the Internet. As far as I know, the trend on the Internet is not as pessimistic as the media reports."

"No. I don't mind them manipulating the media to put pressure on me!" Xie Jili looked back at Xu Changen in the rain, "I'm just a little angry, angry, how many years have passed, they have degenerated to such tricks! Why not Speak out openly! It’s not that I can’t get through the phone! I don’t need them to tell me what they think through the media, even if it’s a military remonstrance.”

"Principal, you are just making a subjective assumption. They won't do that, and they dare not."

"Why don't you dare!" Xie Jili said a little angrily. The Tai Chi Dragon guards at the gate of the Political Affairs Hall saluted him. He nodded and walked into the hall, "Why don't you tell the truth to the people! There is nothing terrible in telling the truth ! They still hold elitism and want to use rhetoric to conceal the truth and confuse the people."

"You're right." Xu Changen said, "But sometimes, the truth can cause panic. We can't place our hope on the people will remain rational."

Xie Jili stopped in the corridor. He looked back at Xu Changen, and said softly, "I know, I know you all think so. But history." He continued walking forward, "belongs to the people."

Xu Changen didn't say anything else, and followed Xie Jili to the door of the conference room at the end of the corridor, where the Tai Chi Dragon guards saluted Xie Jili.

Xie Jili tidied up his messy hair, the guard pushed open the heavy maroon door, Xie Jili stepped into the dimly lit meeting room.

The meeting room is not big, only [-] to [-] square meters, with an octagonal table in the middle, and a projection of a world map in the center of the table.Because of the projection, the brightest overhead light on the ceiling was not turned on, only the cloisonne wall lamps on the surrounding vermilion log walls shimmered.

At this moment, there were already six people sitting at the octagonal table, and two chairs were empty.And six confidential secretaries also sat behind the desks by the wall.

Xie Jili walked to the empty chair facing the door and sat down. The chair on his right was also empty, which belonged to Chen Ruonu.On his left is a healthy but wrinkled white-haired man in his seventies, Yu Gaoyuan, one of the eight major families, one of the allies of the Chen family, and the biggest beneficiary of the Chen family after its downfall .

Xie Jili sat down, and Yu Gaoyuan knocked on the table, "Jili is here, so we can start the meeting now. Please make a record with the secretary"

The six confidential secretaries answered "Yes", two of them turned on the cameras, two of them turned on their laptops, and two of them picked up their pens and began to write.

Sitting opposite Xie Jili, the gray-haired man Liu Yu wearing a black Tai Chi Defense Chief uniform pointed to the direction of the Pacific Ocean on the map in the middle of the table, and said expressionlessly: "At present, the star gate has launched a siege to our Tai Chi Dragon fleet in the Pacific Ocean. Damn, our fleet is trying to retreat towards Guandao and Iwo Jima under the command of Admiral Chen Kang. Due to signal shielding, the exact location of No. [-] Fleet is unknown, and our No. [-] and No. Departure, currently still near Dongsha Islands"

"Is the rescue likely to be successful?" Yu Gaoyuan who was beside Xie Jili asked without raising his head, his skin was a little sickly red, like undercooked steak.He took out a box, took out the thin paper tobacco from it, and started rolling cigarettes skillfully.

"It's very slim," Liu Yu said, "Maybe before our No. [-] and No. [-] fleets arrive, the No. [-] fleet will be defeated and sink into the Pacific like the No. [-] fleet."

"Comrade Liu Yu, do you mean that our Tai Chi Dragon has no chance of winning?" Yu Gaoyuan stopped rolling his cigarette, knocked on the table and asked.

Liu Yu said with a serious face: "Yes, we have done countless wargames. We don't have any advantage between the second island chain and the third island chain. It is far away from our base, but the base of Stargate is very close. If they get too close, I suspect that Fleet [-] and Fleet [-] will also be in danger of being wiped out by the Stargate."

"What do you mean? Abandon the Third Fleet? Abandon them?" Xie Jili said coldly, "We have been preparing for so many years, but now you can't come up with a perfect plan? It's impossible! You can Attack the Stargate bases on Guandao and Iwo Jima first."

"That would be an all-out war. We can't afford the cost of an all-out war at the moment, so we can only limit the scope of the war to the Pacific region of the world." Yu Gaoyuan said.

"Yes! In any case, it cannot develop into a full-scale war. If a full-scale war breaks out, we will have no way out."

"I support Comrade Nie Yongsheng's opinion."

"Peace is hard-won, and we must cherish it."

Others said one after another.

Xie Jili turned his head and looked at the tall and thin middle-aged man with retro glasses on the other side. He was the youngest among the seven people sitting at the seven-transformation table, "Bai Ning, what do you think? Are we just watching us helplessly?" colleagues died in vain in the Pacific Ocean?"

Bai Ning avoided Xie Jili's sight, lowered his head and said softly, "We can still withdraw the Taiji Dragon Warriors, including General Chen Kang, through the submarine."

Xie Jili trembled a few times, and he lowered his voice, "What about those ordinary soldiers? We gave up on them so easily? Are you so afraid of people from the Star Gate?"

Yu Gaoyuan knocked on the table again, "Comrade Xie Jili, please be rational, this is war, not a child's play. We also feel sorry for those soldiers, but with zero winning rate, we have no choice."

Xie Jili raised his voice, "Then who said we could sail?" He trembled angrily and said, "Have you never thought about what to do in this situation other than talking about frustration? Could it be that the emergency evacuation plan Just let the people of Taijilong escape in a submarine?"

There was silence in the meeting room.

After a while, the gray-haired man said in a low voice: "We have made plans for all situations, but we did not expect that there would be traitors, which would lead to the complete annihilation of the No. [-] Fleet and the location of the No. [-] Fleet locked." He sighed. Tone, "This is a dead end, and the Chen family must pay the price for it."

"Maybe we have other options." Xie Jili stood up and pointed in the direction of the Bering Strait, "The No. [-] Fleet continues to cast doubts in the Dongsha Sea area, buy time for the No. [-] Fleet, and find a way to notify the No. Retreat in the direction of the Bering Strait, let the fourth fleet go to the direction of the Bering Strait to meet the third fleet. I will ask the Sunflower Banner to send troops to support it."

Liu Yu stared at Xie Jili and asked, "Are you sure the Sunflower Banner will help?"

"I'm sure." Xie Jili replied.

"If you are sure, we can consider this plan, but this does not increase the success rate much. You must know that the third fleet is always under the nose of the star gate!"

"In this case, we will implement full-band interference blocking, so that everyone will become blind and deaf!"

"Even if Sunflower Banner does its best, the possibility of successfully rescuing the Third Fleet is still not high."

"At least it's higher than it is now!" Xie Jili looked up at the gray-haired Taiji Defense Chief Liu Yu, "First, we must use drones and submarines to establish contact with the No. [-] Fleet, and then notify the No. [-] and No. [-] Fleets. Fleet [-] takes on the task of attracting the attention of the star gate, and allows them to attack the star gate Guandao and Iwo Jima when necessary. Don't say that peace is hard-won! It is because it is hard-won that we must have the ability to defend it Determination, if we don't have this determination, we will only slip into war faster!" He looked around and said coldly, "Anyway, I am ready for everything, including dying on the battlefield."

Wherever Xie Jili looked, everyone around the octagonal table lowered their heads, unwilling to make eye contact with him.Only the six confidential secretaries sitting by the wall all raised their heads to look at Xie Jili, and after a long pause, they each buried their heads in their work.

The conference room fell into silent silence. When Yu Gaoyuan finished smoking the hand-rolled cigarette in his hand, he raised his head and looked at Xie Jili, "Comrade Xie Jili, I have a different opinion."

"It's a good thing to have opinions." Xie Jili sat down again, "Aren't the few of us sitting here for a meeting just to communicate and put forward our own opinions?"

"The means of obtaining peace is not only through war." Yu Gaoyuan said, "It can also be negotiated. The Stargate has not killed them all, maybe it is to negotiate with us."

(End of this chapter)