Chapter 64: Bandits Becoming Organized
The water was quite deep where the dock was being built, so long wooden piles needed to be driven in for support. However, ordinary wooden piles wouldn’t do; they had to be charred on the outside to make them more resistant to corrosion.
Wooden piles several meters long were driven into the riverbed, piercing through the silt and deep into the ground. Thick planks were then laid on top, making it very stable to walk on. However, there weren’t many fishing boats moored on either side of the dock, only seven or eight, all of the most common flat-bottomed type.
The first fishing boats were exchanged by Owen from the System. Later, when conditions allowed, the territory started building its own, but they were still just ordinary fishing boats, five or six meters long and a little over a meter wide, able to carry at most two or three people out fishing.
At this time, several fishermen were cleaning their catches and sorting their nets on the dock. Owen went over to take a look and found that the harvest was quite good, almost a few dozen fish, shrimp, and crabs, but he didn’t recognize most of them.
In his past life, he was only familiar with the few types of fish sold at the market. He hadn’t really seen any fish from this other world, so he was curious.
The most eye-catching among the catch was a type of white fish with a pointed head and a tapered tail, plump and fleshy with fine scales, looking delicious at first glance. There was also a snow crab similar to a king crab. Besides these, the rest were pretty much like trash fish, their appearance alone was far inferior.
Owen’s daily meals, including fruits and drinks, were mostly exchanged from the System and then processed and cooked. He rarely consumed ingredients produced in the territory.
At first, it was because he was afraid of eating too much black bread. Later, it was purely out of habit. Now, seeing these two kinds of seafood, he was actually drooling.
Owen wasn’t afraid of them being poisonous. Neither the System soldiers nor the farmers were immune to all poisons; they would get injured and poisoned just like anyone else. So if they could eat it without any problems, he could definitely eat it too. And even if there was a problem, there was Dier’s magic potion and the almighty System. So he asked the fishermen to send some white fish and snow crab to the castle.
On his way back, Owen had already decided to increase fishing efforts. The North Boundary River was teeming with fish and shrimp, and it would be a waste not to utilize them. Moreover, they could be used to supplement the protein deficiency in the territory’s residents’ diet.
In addition, the navy also needed to be established as soon as possible, at least getting a couple of arrow ships to patrol the river and guard against the Northland barbarians crossing the river to invade the territory.
During the dry season, the water in the shallower parts of the North Boundary River wasn’t very deep, reaching at most chest level. With the barbarians’ physique, they could easily cross the river, so precautions had to be taken.
The North Boundary River was a cold water river, as its source came from melting glaciers. Even in summer, the river water was as cold as well water. Consequently, the fish and shrimp in the river grew slowly, but this also enhanced their flavor. The white fish was delicious whether grilled or made into soup, and the snow crab was even more sweet and delicious. Owen couldn’t stop praising them after tasting them.
Actually, both were more suitable for eating raw, as cold water rivers rarely had parasites, and this way, one could taste their ultimate freshness.
Unfortunately, Owen wasn’t used to eating raw food, so although he included both in his diet, they were all cooked.
While Owen was sitting at the long table in the castle, enjoying the delicious food, Correns was on his way, eating and sleeping in the open.
The journey was not peaceful. Wild beasts and bandits alike popped up like weeds in a field, costing him a lot of time. For example, they were currently facing some trouble.
The Cuirassiers had lowered the visors of their helmets. As long as they leveled their lances, they could launch a deadly charge. The horse archers had also nocked their arrows, spreading out on both sides, ready to encircle the enemy.
Sensing the elite nature of the cavalry, the enemy didn’t dare to approach easily, always staying at a safe distance. However, they were also reluctant to leave, as the equipment and warhorses of the cavalry alone, not to mention the goods carried by Correns’ group, could be exchanged for a fine piece of land near the Empire’s border.
“Which Northland noble uses the Hydra as their symbol?” The leader of the Horse Bandits wasn’t controlled by greed. Compared to the immediate benefits, he was more interested in the master of this cavalry.
Although there were only twenty cavalrymen, judging from their equipment, warhorses, training, and morale, they were no less impressive than the elite cavalry of the Imperial Border Army. This was definitely not something an ordinary minor noble could possess.
“Only the Hydra family uses the Hydra as their symbol in the entire Northland. They were also one of the most famous figures in the First Northland Pioneer Group.”
The leader of the Horse Bandits had two deputies, a fierce Scarface and a rather shrewd young man. It was the latter who answered the question.
“The Hydra family? That’s interesting. A mere twenty years of history and they dare to call themselves a family.” The leader of the Horse Bandits sneered disdainfully, clearly indicating that his true identity wasn’t as simple as a bandit.
“Let’s go. It’s not the time to lose our strength yet.” The leader of the Horse Bandits waved his hand, leading the dozens of Horse Bandits behind him to slowly retreat.
Watching the Horse Bandits gradually disappear with vigilance, Correns’ palms were covered in sweat. Although this wasn’t the first time he had encountered bandits, the opponents were clearly not ordinary bandits. At least he had never seen a bandit group with three Battle Qi masters. This strength was enough to support a Viscount’s title and territory in the Northland, there was no need for them to be bandits, so there was definitely something wrong with them.
Fortunately, the lord had dispatched ten Cuirassiers, ten horse archers, and two knights to accompany him, which made the opponents back down. Otherwise, he couldn’t predict the outcome.
However, the current situation didn’t surprise Correns. The members of the First Northland Pioneer Group were composed of scoundrels, criminals, refugees, and other dregs. Although the members of the Second Northland Pioneer Group were stronger, their essence was no different; they were all a bunch of damned scum. It was inevitable that a large number of criminals and those with ulterior motives would be mixed in. It was also normal for a group of people to disguise themselves as bandits for primitive accumulation, because everyone was doing it.
In other words, no matter which Northland Pioneer Group it was, they were all bandits without even changing their clothes.
This was another piece of bad news that Correns had brought back before. The number of bandits in the Northland had not only increased, but their strength and organization had also improved. Many merchants had lost everything, even their lives.
This was not good news. Originally, the bandits wandering in the Northland were just a group of desperate refugees who were unwilling to be exploited like serfs, so they lived by looting.
Due to their limited strength, they could only bully weaker serfs and didn’t dare to provoke nobles and caravans with guards.
The problem was, how much food did serfs have? So most of the time, they had to live by hunting and stealing, which was a miserable existence.
But when the Second Northland Pioneer Group arrived, everything changed.
It was much faster and easier to subdue bandits and seize existing territories than to buy serfs and toil at farming and land reclamation. Even the titles were ready-made.
The noble titles in the Northland were bestowed by the Emperor. He had specially crafted a batch of seals as proof, so the seals were recognized, not the individuals.
Therefore, as long as one seized the seal and the territory, they could perfectly inherit everything from the previous owner. It was that simple.
It could be said that the Emperor had ill intentions when he did this, and it would become the root of future chaos in the Northland.
