When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist-Chapter 706 - 664: Count Kazi and the Sugar Trade

The boundless forest sea emitted a rustling cry in the evening breeze, as the Mo'en River, a tributary of the Ibe River, wound through the misty green like a dark blue ribbon.

It was approaching evening, and although it was still winter, the Southern County of Black Snake Bay was always spring-like, with people even wearing thin hemp clothes or animal skin vests.

Unlike the square sandstone houses of the Northern County, the settlements of the Southern County, being closer to the Green Dragon Forest Sea, and with longer rainy and humid seasons, mostly consisted of stilted wooden houses.

Dozens of stilted wooden houses surrounded by long walls of logs formed the basic structure of the Black Snake Bay Village Community.

However, the smoke that should have been gently rising from the village community was, at this moment, being swallowed by raging fires.

The wet grassland and rooftops spewed billowing thick smoke, which took on a golden edge under the setting sun.

Beside the stone-built temple at the center of the village community, dozens of Black Snake Bay Warriors wielding rattan shields and blades along with obsidian spears roared and struck relentlessly.

Surrounding the temple, over a hundred Armored Soldiers clad in chainmail and leather armor, along with Double-wage Swordsmen, swung longswords and flails wantonly, while Snake-man Servant Armies threw javelins continuously.

A sharp two-handed greatsword slashed down through the air, tearing open the animal skin clothes of the front-line Black Snake Bay Warriors, revealing the fresh red flesh and white bones wrapped in blood vessels underneath.

Every half a minute, a scream could be heard, as a Black Snake Bay Warrior was either pierced by a thrown javelin or beheaded by a longsword, rolling down the steps.

Though in terms of bravery, these Black Snake Bay Warriors were not inferior to the Imperial Soldiers, the battle line still advanced towards the temple's zenith at a rate visible to the naked eye.

This wasn't due to the Black Snake Bay Warriors being less skilled than the Imperial Soldiers, but an issue of their weaponry and equipment.

Black Snake Bay was poor in minerals, with very little iron ore, almost entirely reliant on imports.

Thus, most Black Snake Bay Warriors wore rattan armor, with few even having leather armor, and their weapons were mostly blunt instruments and thin blades.

"Truly ugly." Count Kazi, as the commander, stood at the village community gate, shaking his head as he gazed upon the siege at the temple entrance.

On the muddy dirt road before him, dozens of prisoners with their hands tied behind their backs glared fiercely at him, their dark pupils filled with resentment, regardless of gender or age.

Count Kazi's entourage consisted of only about a hundred guards, yet he was not afraid of reinforcements from the village, for there simply were none.

In Black Snake Bay, where everything was self-governing, there were very few resources to muster a mobile force.

The Secret Faction, which possessed such mobility, had been trapped in the city by the Noble Alliance Army of the Clove Corridor, allowing the villages and towns outside the city to be overwhelmed individually.

Such scenes were common during the purge war against Black Snake Bay.

If it were within the Empire's territory, Count Kazi wouldn't dare attack an estate of four or five hundred with just about two hundred men.

The biggest difference being that the Empire's estates could muster a great number of people, whereas the self-governing village communities of Black Snake Bay couldn't.

In Black Snake Bay's loose state, even if people were mustered, they would just be defeated individually.

The only thing worth noting for the attack's commander, Count Kazi, were the few Wizards in the temple.

"Can we wrap this up before dinner?" A Monk clad in chainmail came leading a horse, "A box of parrot-beaked giant lobsters from the pioneering lands was delivered to Dragonfly Port, the Duke of Bodosa is hosting a feast at the castle, and if we're late, we won't get any."

"I'd like to wrap it up sooner too, but the Wizards in the temple are taking their sweet time appearing, and my two hundred men don't dare press forward." Count Kazi remarked, regrettably holding his waist and shaking his head, "Why do the weak insist on fighting?"

"After all, if they don't fight, they can't survive." The Armed Monk likewise drew a coiling line on his forehead with emotion, "May their souls find peace."

"Who cares whether they find peace or not, the slaves captured here can fetch a good price." Count Kazi walked over to the prisoners, using his riding boot to raise the chin of a female captive, "The tobacco trade is booming lately, and we need these slaves to plant and harvest tobacco... Hey! Who is it?"

Before Count Kazi could finish his sentence, he felt a pain in his toe. His gaze lowered, finding the once rugged yet wild and beautifully alluring captive contorting her face in a gnarly gesture, fiercely biting on his riding boot.

Upon realizing the captive's actions, he couldn't call for guards in time and immediately took up his baton, striking the captive's cheek fiercely.

The once full lips burst instantly, three shattered teeth specked with blood flew out, and the female captive let out a piercing scream, collapsing sideways to the ground.

Two guards quickly stepped forward, dragging the female captive aside.

"Damn it, she's disfigured." Wiping the splattered blood from his hand with a handkerchief, he regretfully tore a piece of shredded flesh from the female captive's mouth, "Forget it, let the soldiers have their fun."

Rough breathing erupted simultaneously from the soldiers' line guarding the captives and the captives' line themselves.

"Thank you, Count, sir!"

"You're the best man just below Saint George!"

"We adore you, Count." The soldiers cheered, while Count Kazi laughed and raised his hands to hush them.

As the Border Count of Black Snake Bay, this was Count Kazi's second involvement in the purge. He originally thought his son would participate next time.

Such purges typically occurred every ten to several decades, with each generation of counts participating only once.

According to his estimation, the next one should have been ten years later, but this was launched now all because of that bag of white sugar brought from the Thousand River Valley.

The nobles, though short-sighted, were not fools.

The Thousand River Valley had sugar refining technology, ample food, and was closer to the districts, even possessing the iron ore Black Snake Bay desperately needed.

Even an idiot knew that Black Snake Bay would choose to ship sugar and spices north.

Though the Thousand River Valley might be destroyed within two or three years, the Thousand River Valley Trading Company wouldn't be.

If they really let black sugar flow to the Thousand River Valley, even if the Holy Monarchy were overthrown, the sugar would still pass through the Thousand River Valley Trading Company.

So, the nobles of the Clove Corridor made a decision with incredible speed and unimaginable efficiency.

After learning of the matter in September, they had assembled and marched on Black Snake Bay by January of the following year.

Their objectives were twofold: first, to forcibly prevent the Black Snake Bay People from selling black sugar to the Thousand River Valley; and second, to capture several key Sweet Branch Plantations.

If they didn't forcibly cut off the royal family's involvement in the sugar trade, the Clove Corridor would forever be uninvolved with the sugar trade.

Count Kazi's lips curled into a contemptuous smile.

The Black Snake Bay people had exerted too much effort in the previous Thousand River Valley war, bled too much, and thus their resistance was much weaker compared to before.

Continuing at the current offensive pace, they were expected to reach the walls of Celestial Maiden City before the rainy season arrived.

The last time they reached the walls of Celestial Maiden City was over a hundred years ago.

"It's poisonous smoke magic, quick retreat!" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Holy Water, prepare the Holy Water."

Seeing the green smoke finally diffusing in front of the temple, Count Kazi smiled and said to the Armed Monk beside him, "They finally show themselves, just in time for the lobster meal."