Only people could enter, but not leave. This was the plan that Loriste, Great Swordsman Theseus, Fatty Shi, and the others had set when he left the arena. Loriste did not ask for much. He just wanted to drag things out quietly for two days. First, he wanted all the freed slave gladiators to recover their strength and spirit. Second, he wanted to see if he could find a way to get a batch of weapons and equipment to arm all the slave gladiators.
There were currently more than 1,600 slave gladiators in the King's City Gladiator Arena. Including the slave servants and female slaves, there were more than 2,000 of them. However, after searching the entire Gladiator Arena, they only found around 400 weapons and equipment. Most of them were seized from the soldiers of the City Guards and the gladiator instructors. Other than Fatty Shi and the other Norton Family knights and soldiers, only Great Swordsman Theseus and the 100-odd slave gladiators were equipped with weapons, the remaining 1,000 or so were bare-handed.
Loriste's goal in leaving the arena and sneaking back to the Flame and Blood Tavern was to see if he could get some weapons and equipment from the periphery. Most of the 1,000 slave gladiators had awakened fighting energy. If they were all armed, they would be a formidable force. In Loriste's heart, he had a vague feeling that perhaps these slave gladiators could be of great use in the battle to take down the king's city. It was just that he had not thought of a way yet.
Ayer returned to the Flame and Blood Tavern at noon. He answered the owner's curious questions with embarrassment. Two days ago, he had gone to the arena to practice his swordsmanship and had accidentally sprained his ankle. Fortunately, there was a gladiator instructor who knew how to massage, so he had stayed at the instructor's place for two days. In the end, the royal guards who had changed shifts did not know what had happened and misunderstood. In the morning, when he went out for a stroll, he heard from the guards that the Chamber of Commerce had sent someone to look for him. That was why he had rushed back.
After satisfying the owner's curiosity, Ayer pulled Loriste to a corner and ordered some food and wine. They chatted as they ate. Ayer brought back Fatty Shi's statistics. Fatty Shi and his men had checked all the resources in the arena and found that they lacked medicine, weapons, and food. The Haneabada Kingdom was currently at war. The royal guards had been deployed. Although they had reduced the number of guards in the arena, they were still very strict with the slave gladiators.
Other than the lack of weapons and equipment, there was not much food left. It was only enough for 2,000 people for three days. Porridge was cooked two times a day, and most of it was moldy old wheat. If they had not found a special granary for the guards and instructors in the gladiator instructor's dormitory, they might have run out of food today. However, there was not much good food in the granary either. If they ate and drank to their heart's content, there would be no more tomorrow. In addition, there was a shortage of healing potions. Two to three hundred slave gladiators were injured. Fatty Shi hoped to get a batch of healing potions.
Laurist rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming on. This was Hamidas, the enemy's capital. Even if they obtained a large amount of food, weapons, and equipment, it was impossible for them to openly transport them into the Arena. Just the camp of the Imperial Guards in front of the Arena was an insurmountable barrier. Although the Imperial Guard Army had already set off, there were still nearly twenty thousand people preparing to form the so-called Revenge of Humiliation Army. Even if most of them were drunkards, there were still quite a few who were meticulous. If they were exposed, the two thousand people in the arena would be forced to stay in the underground prison. Without food or weapons, they would not be able to escape.
"Sir, how about we launch a surprise attack at night?" Aire said in a low voice, "When I passed by the Imperial Guard Corps' camp on my way back, I discovered that the defenses were quite lax. I even went inside to take a look. The granaries and armory of this camp are all in the back, separated from the arena by a single wall. If we catch them off guard at night, we can have some time to move their granaries and arsenals … "
Laurist shook his head. "Things aren't as simple as you think. You've forgotten that those 1,300 slave gladiators aren't our family's well-trained soldiers. If he brought them on a surprise attack, it was very likely that they would be in a frenzy of killing and disregard orders until they were exhausted and overwhelmed by enemies who rushed over or came to their senses. To these slave gladiators, the hatred buried in their hearts is like a volcano. They have an unforgettable hatred for the people of this city. Once it erupts, they will either destroy their enemies or themselves … "
Aire was speechless. He knew that Laurist was right. When he left the arena in the morning, he had heard some slave gladiators making a ruckus, asking for a weapon for them to kill their way out. If they killed one, they would be worth it. If they killed two, they would earn another. If not for the great swordsman Hugh and the Gold-ranked slave gladiators suppressing them, the slave gladiators who wanted revenge might have rushed up to snatch the weapons from the family's soldiers.
"Ah, Aire, you're back?" A cheerful voice sounded. It turned out that Tagger had woken up and came down the stairs. He was very happy to see Aire and Laurist sitting together.
"Those bastards didn't stop drinking until midnight. I vomited twice and still feel dizzy …" Tagger complained loudly as he walked over and sat down. He then called for the tavern owner to serve some food to fill his stomach.
"My lord, have you found Knight Shredder and the others?" Tagger asked softly. He seemed to be hungover, but his eyes were shining with a shrewd light. He was also very concerned about Laurist's gains from last night's exploration of the arena.
Lollister nodded slightly. After the tavern maid served Tagger the food he wanted and left, he briefly recounted last night's infiltration of the arena in a low voice. It was nothing much at first, but when he heard that Laurist had helped the slave gladiators occupy the entire arena, Tagger, who was holding a cup of ale, spat it out …
"My, my lord, you're always so unexpected …" Tagger sighed.
"Unexpected my ass. I'm having a headache right now. I don't even know what to do next. Although the addition of more than a thousand slave gladiators will give us an additional helping force to attack the city, the problem now is how to preserve and conceal this fighting force, and delay it until the family's armed forces attack the city." Laurist knocked his head with his fist, indicating that he could not think of a solution.
Ayer introduced the current predicament that the slave gladiators in the arena were currently facing.
Tagger pondered, "My lord, you want to leave these slave gladiators in the city, and when the family's armed forces attack the city, use them as a surprise attack, a dagger to stab into the enemy's heart and work together to conquer the city, right?"
Laurist nodded.
"But the current problem is that the arena lacks food, weapons, and supplies. Even if we get these things, we can't transport them in openly, right? In fact, we can't gather all these things in the city. Ayer is right. If we want to get these supplies, there's no other way but to attack the camp of the Army of Humiliation. " “
Tagger spun the copper wine cup and frowned, "My lord, you've forgotten a very important piece of information. Yesterday, didn't Dore say that once the Army of Humiliation is formed, Luther III is going to hold a grand gladiatorial show and have all the slave gladiators split into two factions to fight to the death, as a sacrifice to the god of war, Higwa, for victory? No matter how we hide it, we won't be able to delay the slave gladiators in the arena until the family's armed forces attack the city. Once the Army of Humiliation is formed, the matter of the arena will be exposed.
Another problem is that the gladiator arena has very little food reserves. So, they will definitely need to replenish their supplies every two to three days. Also, we don't know if the two imperial guards guarding the gladiator arena will rotate with other teams. As long as these accidents happen, the fact that the gladiator arena has been occupied by the slave gladiators will be discovered immediately. We won't be able to delay it for two to three days. "
"You mean to say that we should take advantage of the fact that we haven't been discovered yet, and take the initiative to obtain enough food, supplies, and weapons for the slave gladiators? You also agree with Ayer's idea to ambush the slave hunters and mercenaries in the royal guards' camp? "Laurist asked.
"Yes, my lord." Tagger looked around and said in a low voice, "Anyway, once the Army of Humiliation is formed, they will go up to reinforce the royal guards and become our enemy. If we can cause heavy damage to them first and make them lose their combat power, it will remove the worry of our family's armed forces. They will also be able to reach the capital faster and put pressure on the enemy, reducing the threat we face in the city. Now, we just need to think about how to preserve the slave gladiators' combat power and make more enemies. "
The drunkards lying on the ground in the alley flashed in Laurist's mind, and he could not help but say, "If only the people in the camp were drunk …"
This was a beautiful idea, but it was very unrealistic. Now, there were nearly twenty thousand people in the Army of Humiliation. Laurist had no reason to buy a large number of wine and food to the camp and let them drink until they were drunk.
The door of the tavern opened, and four soldiers dressed as city guards came in. After talking to the tavern owner for a while, they walked towards Laurist and the others.
"Sorry to disturb you." The leading city guard soldier said, "May I ask if you know Carrick?"
"Hmm?" Tagger stood up and said, "Yes, Carrick escaped back to the capital with us, so he can be considered our friend. He went out last night and hasn't come back yet. May I ask what happened to him? "
"Oh, it's like this. This friend of yours ran to the noble district drunk last night and even scolded Viscount Timba for being ungrateful. As a result, he was beaten up by the servants in Viscount Timba's mansion, and we, the city guards, took him back and threw him in prison. In the morning, when he woke up, he asked me to send him a letter here and find someone called Tagger to get him out. He also said that he would reward me handsomely … "The city guard stretched out his thumb and index finger and made a gesture.
"So that's how it is. I'm Tagger. Thank you for the information." Tagger took out a gold ford and stuffed it into the soldier's hand. He turned his head and shouted for the tavern owner to give the four city guards a table of good wine and food, and put the bill on him.
When the city guard saw the glittering gold ford in his hand, he was overjoyed and hurriedly stuffed it into his waist pouch.
"Brother, how should I get Carrick out?" Tagger asked.
The city guard smiled and said, "Spend some money, or Carrick will be sent to the arena. His Majesty the King has ordered that all those who escaped from Nubit Port must report to the Legion of Humiliation. If someone like him who doesn't report to the Legion of Humiliation is caught, he will be demoted to a slave and sent to the arena as a deserter. The more you fear death, the faster you will die. Of course, the nobles are an exception. "
"Then, brother, can you help me? Let's go get Carrick out first, okay?" Tagger asked. Seeing that the city guard was a little reluctant to see his three companions sitting there waiting for the tavern maid to serve the dishes, he smiled and said, "Brother, we will open a separate table when we come back. I guarantee that you will be satisfied. If this trip goes well, I will reward you handsomely. "
At the mention of the reward, the city guard touched his waist pouch, licked the corner of his mouth, and replied, "Okay, I will accompany you again."
Tagger and the city defense soldier were gone for more than half an hour. When they came back, Carrik, who was covered in dirt and had his clothes torn and bruised, followed behind them. At this time, Dore, Cherva, and several other mercenaries, who were drunk yesterday, had already come downstairs. They were bragging in front of Ayer and Lollister while holding a glass of ale. When they saw Carrick, they laughed at him, thinking that it was wishful thinking for Carrick to hug Viscount Timba's thigh. Didn't he suffer enough? Fortunately, Tagger was generous and spent money to get him out; otherwise, he would be finished if he was sent to the arena.
Carrick flew into a rage out of humiliation and finally couldn't help but lose his temper. "Is it wrong for me to want to hug Viscount Timba's thigh? No matter what, he fled all the way to the capital with me. As long as he says a word, I can avoid going to the front line to die in the 'Wash the Shame Legion' … "
Tagger ordered another table of food and wine for the city defense soldier who accompanied him. Then, he walked over and said, "Carrick is right. As long as Viscount Timba says the word, he doesn't have to report to the Legion of Humiliation. However, I inquired about it and found out that Viscount Timba didn't return to his mansion last night and was left in the palace by his sister, the First Consort. So, Carrick's luck was bad last night. When he ran over, the Viscount was not there, and he got drunk and made a scene. If others don't beat him up, who else can they beat … "
Uh … Everyone burst into laughter. Carrick's face turned red and he didn't say a word.
Tagger shook his head and said, "Today, Carrick has to report to the 'Wash the Shame Legion'. Otherwise, he will be treated as a deserter. Cherva, you and he are old friends, so help take care of him so that he doesn't suffer. But, Carrick, don't worry. I will go to the Viscount's mansion in the afternoon and deliver our chamber of commerce's visiting card. If Viscount Timba returns to his mansion and finds out, he will definitely send someone to take us there. At that time, I will talk to Sir Viscount and see if I can get all of you out of the 'Wash the Shame Legion' so that you don't get into any accidents when you go to the front line. You are the only few friends left in the Haneabada Kingdom, so I don't want anything to happen to you. "
Not only was Carrick moved to tears, but even Cherva, Dore, and the other mercenaries also praised Tagger for his friendship and righteousness. Tagger said a few polite words and asked the tavern owner to arrange a table for Carrick to fill his stomach first. Finally, Carrick got drunk and was forced to report to the barracks by Cherva.
The tavern finally had some peace and quiet, and Tagger returned to Ayer and Lollister's table. Ayer looked at Tagger unhappily and scolded in a low voice: "Is this how you spend the funds given to you by your family? What's the use of befriending these bastards!"
Tagger smiled and ignored Ayer. He said softly to Lollister: "Sir, let's change our clothes and visit Viscount Timba. Just now, that city guard soldier told me that Viscount Timba returned to his mansion at noon. I have an idea to solve the predicament we are currently facing. "
Lollister raised his eyebrows: "Speak."
"We can use Viscount Timba's name to transport a large amount of wine and meat into the barracks and use the excuse of boosting morale to let the soldiers of the 'Wash the Shame Legion' eat and drink to their heart's content. When they are drunk, we can dispatch the slave gladiators to carry out a surprise attack. Not only will we be able to kill the enemy's effective forces to the maximum, but we can also seize a large number of weapons and equipment as well as the supplies we need …" Tagger secretly made a throat-cutting gesture.
Lollister's eyes lit up: "The key is to convince Viscount Timba to give us this name …"
Tagger said: "I can use the excuse of raising the name of the Peterson Chamber of Commerce to propose to Viscount Timba to accept this business. He doesn't even need to pay. I believe that Viscount Timba will be very happy to serve his brother-in-law and sister …"
Lollister stood up: "Without further ado, let's immediately set off to visit Viscount Timba."
… …
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