Water Margin people

Chapter 1620 Parting ways

"The contribution of believers is their faith!"

Saladin looked at Sun Lei and said.

"It sounds good, but it's just to plunder wealth. It's just you who imposes heavy taxes. You're just pretending to be righteous!"

Sun Lei said.

The banquet ended quickly, but Saladin and Baldwin IV were not in a hurry to say goodbye and leave. Instead, they looked at the ironclad ship carefully, trying to get a glimpse of the secrets inside.

Sun Lei did not stop them. The cabin was closed anyway, and these people were just walking around on the deck.

Saladin and Baldwin IV first looked carefully at the deck and the side of the ship and found that they were all made of steel and were extremely strong. There were not even two gaps in them. They could not believe the craftsmanship of Qi.

"This is the cannon!"

Saladin looked at the huge ship-borne main gun on the deck again. He had noticed this thing a long time ago, but he didn't dare to get close to it. Now that Sun Lei didn't stop him, he bravely went over to take a look.

The barrel of the gun was very thick. Saladin looked at the dark barrel and stuck his head in, but it was pitch black inside and he couldn't see anything.

"How does this thing fire shells?"

Saladin was puzzled. He could get someone to build a thick gun barrel, but he had no idea how it could be turned into a cannon.

Baldwin IV was not interested in cannons. What he was most curious about was how this steel behemoth moved. There were no masts or sails on the deck, and no oars on the side of the ship. Where did the power come from?

Baldwin IV was somewhat knowledgeable about ships. He knew that a ship could not be too heavy, otherwise it would affect its speed. This was true for wooden boats, so the sails and oars of this steel behemoth would probably not be able to move at all.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid this is not a cannon barrel!"

Baldwin IV asked as he looked at the chimney that was emitting white steam. He felt that this thing was the secret of the ironclad ship.

Sun Lei did not answer and was too lazy to explain anything, and the others were even less willing to speak.

Baldwin IV was even more convinced of his idea. It was a chimney, and the ship was powered by combustion. This discovery was very important. If he could crack the secret, they would also be able to have this invincible ironclad ship.

The two of them visited for a long time before reluctantly getting off the ship and were arranged to live in a designated place.

The two men observed everything in the port and found that the civilians really had no intention of resisting. One by one, they really converted to Qi's imperial religion and accepted Qi's rule.

"Lord Saladin, it's bad, the Crusaders have landed in Jerusalem!"

A messenger reported to Saladin.

"So fast?"

Saladin stood up immediately. Although he knew from Sun Lei that the Crusaders would arrive soon, he did not expect that they would arrive so quickly this time.

"Let's go back to Damascus!"

Saladin immediately said that once the Crusaders arrived, a war would break out immediately and Damascus would definitely be the front line of the war.

On the other hand, Baldwin IV also received news that the Arab coalition was marching towards Jerusalem.

The two of them did not travel together, nor did they say hello to each other. They just sent someone to say goodbye to Sun Lei and then left quietly.

"Your Majesty, these people really change their attitudes faster than turning the pages of a book! They were allies before, but now they're splitting up!"

Wu Song said in a low voice as he watched the two people leaving.

"He has ulterior motives, so it's not surprising that he does anything!"

Sun Lei said that these two people originally belonged to two different camps, and now that the camps have started a war, they can only be dragged into it.

"Your Majesty, they have been studying ships for a long time. Could it be that they have learned something?"

Deng Fei spoke up. He had been staring at Baldwin IV and Saladin. These two guys had been studying ironclad ships.

"What can they learn from looking outside? What's more, this thing is not as simple as just looking at it. This ship has spent countless manpower and material resources from research to construction and launching. The accumulation of resources is incredible. They can't learn it yet!" Sun Lei was very confident. He admitted that Westerners were smart, but the West was still in the ignorant period of the Middle Ages. They had no scientific accumulation at all. Let alone let them see it, they couldn't build it even if they were given the blueprints.

"Report, Your Majesty, a large number of sand bandits and vagrants have appeared on the plateau, numbering more than 100,000!"

A soldier came to report.

"Hundreds of thousands?"

Sun Lei was a little surprised. He just wanted to muddy the water and get rid of some enemies, but he didn't expect all the people to jump out. What does a hundred thousand mean? During the most powerful period of the Seljuk, the territory stretched thousands of miles, and the army was only a few hundred thousand.

"Yes, according to the news, bandits and robbers from thousands of miles around have gathered together. They claim to be descendants of Persia and that the Manichean treasure belongs to them!"

Soldiers report.

"Your Majesty, these people are really treacherous. They know that the plateau is already our Qi territory, but they still dare to say this. I'm afraid someone is secretly instigating them. I'm afraid they are testing us!"

Li Zhu said that a group of sand bandits usually hid in the dark, but now they not only jumped out into the light, but also wanted to enter the territory of Qi to steal treasures. This was too abnormal.

"It's just a few hundred thousand sand bandits. They really don't know how to live or die!"

Sun Lei touched his chin and said.

"Your Majesty, let's go and kill those guys right now!"

Lu Fang and others spoke immediately.

"Where are those people now?"

Sun Lei said.

"The main force is still in the river valley below the plateau, but a small number of people have entered the plateau to search for treasure."

Soldiers report.

"Pass the order down, keep the troops still, and wait until the enemy's vanguard discovers the treasure before taking action. And make sure the news is brought back. I want to catch these guys in one fell swoop!"

Sun Lei said.

"Your Majesty, do you think there are still people who haven't come?"

Li Zhu asked.

"Of course, there are always people who won't release the eagle until they see the rabbit. It's not just idiots here!"

Sun Lei nodded.

Everyone nodded. This piece of land really did hide a lot of secrets. They originally thought that all forces had been cleared, but now a coalition of more than 100,000 bandits appeared.

"The battle has lasted too long! The soldiers are tired! In the next battle, tell the soldiers to fight quickly and decisively. I don't want any prisoners!"

Sun Lei looked at everyone and said, "They had fought from the Western Regions all the way to Persia, covering thousands of miles and fighting continuously for more than half a year. Although the soldiers had taken turns to rest, changes in the soil and climate still made the soldiers somewhat uncomfortable."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Everyone saluted in unison. They could see the soldiers' fatigue. Although their fighting capacity was still there, problems would arise sooner or later if they continued like this for a long time. Simple and direct combat could reduce the soldiers' consumption.

"Your Majesty, our navy fleet can be responsible for the replacement of the army. If you send a message back, a large army will soon be able to replace some of the soldiers on the front line!"

Ruan Xiaoer said that there were still many troops in Qi State, and it would be very slow for the soldiers to take turns by land, but it would be much faster by sea.

"Well, I will issue an order right now to send 20,000 people first!"

Sun Lei nodded. Twenty thousand people could be used to exchange the injured and sick soldiers back to the Central Plains for recuperation.