At dawn, the ship gradually sailed from the vast Indian Ocean to the coast of Somalia. The flickering lights on the coastal lighthouse were extinguished, and the vast and boundless sea slowly woke up from the darkness.
On the rolling sea in the east, a unique sunrise began to appear.
The towering mosque minarets on the coast, rows of ancient Arab castles, and a city mainly in white gradually revealed its clear outline in the morning light.
Ancient mosques and equally ancient castles formed the city's most ancient heritage. Some mosques had even existed for thousands of years, and after the baptism of time, they still stood tall.
This was Mugu Toru, a historical ancient city.
The blue Indian Ocean set off this white city, making it look clean and beautiful.
Looking past the white beach, near the port, there was a bustling trade center, and it was also the largest trade center in Mugu Toru, mainly selling incense, myrrh, ivory, leather, and other goods.
Somalia, known as the "land of incense and myrrh" since ancient times, was the place that produced the most incense and myrrh and had the longest history.
More than a thousand years ago, an Egyptian nobleman named Hanu was sent by the Egyptian Pharaoh to Mugu Toru to buy spices. After that, Greek, Persian, and China navigators came one after another.
The current commander-in-chief of the Xia Kingdom, Zheng He, had sailed to Mugu Toru twice in history.
When the war came, the surrounding sea was blocked by the Xia Kingdom's navy, making the originally bustling trade center abnormally deserted. The shops and stalls were closed one by one, and the whole place looked desolate and dilapidated.
Across the desolate trade center, there was a central avenue that ran through the whole city. The avenue was wide and straight, with dense tropical trees and flowers growing on both sides, and there was an endless stream of pedestrians on the street.
Although it was only 200 kilometers away from the equator, Mugu Toru had a cool climate and verdant forests. It was a scenic spot in Somalia, and all kinds of tropical plants could thrive here.
However, the clouds of war shrouded the city, and the pedestrians on the street were mostly in a hurry, their faces full of worry. Acquaintances met each other on the street, and they also talked about the war and the rising price of flour.
In addition to pedestrians, camels could be seen from time to time, leisurely walking on the street. Somalia had a lot of camels, and Mugu Toru was the only city in the world with more camels than people.
The camels were probably the only ones who could not feel the threat of war, but the war would still affect them. The hungry people would eventually turn their attention to the camels.
At the end of the central avenue was a square with a mosque and a great hall on both sides. The beige mosque tower soared into the sky, and the great hall sat on a protruding hill like a lion.
In the square, two bronze statues of heroes stood on a marble base more than ten meters high. One of them was wearing armor, brandishing a sword and riding a horse. It was the national hero Mohammad Abdul Hassan.
He was a poet, but also a fighter.
Further ahead was the Somali Royal Palace, the center of power in Somalia.
The dark clouds of war shrouded the palace as well, causing the oppressive atmosphere of the magnificent palace.
In the main hall of the palace.
The King of Somalia sat on his throne. His face was haggard, and his eyes were bloodshot. It was as if he had aged a lot. The hall was filled with the smell of decay, causing people to frown.
A group of civil and military officials stood solemnly in front of the palace, listening to the king's instructions.
In addition, there were two "uninvited guests". One represented the Somali adventurer player named Abadi, and the other represented the Somali lord named Aidid.
"Tell me, what should we do now?" The Somali King's voice was hoarse and full of exhaustion.
The moment Farah was captured by the Great Xia Navy, the king seemed to have a premonition. He could not sleep at night, and his expression was anxious. His temper was getting worse by the day.
In just two days, five servants had been executed for no reason, shrouding the palace in terror.
There was no fluke, and the war came just like that.
Because of the king's mistake, the entire Somali Kingdom fell into a quagmire of war and could be destroyed at any time. This made the king extremely regretful. He regretted provoking that lion.
There was a proverb in Africa: "When you can't subdue a lion, don't take the initiative to provoke it. Otherwise, you might get killed at any time."
The Great Xia Dynasty was not only a lion, but also a majestic lion king.
Touch it and you will die!
As the king of Somalia, he had forgotten this proverb and ended up in this situation. At the same time, there was resentment in the heart of the Somali King. He resented the mysterious person who instigated him.
The mysterious person who suddenly visited the palace once vowed: "As long as we take down the Friendship City, we will have the port and the sea route, and we will be able to bring endless wealth to Somalia."
The desire for wealth had seeped into the bones of the Somalis, including the king. The Friendship City made a lot of money every day, seducing the king day by day, arousing his greed, and finally losing his mind.
Now that he thought about it, it was obvious that the person had ulterior motives.
Unfortunately, it was too late to repent now. The Somali King did not even know the name of the person.
Greed was the original sin!
…
In the face of the king's inquiry, the ministers looked at each other, their eyes flickering.
When the Somali King saw this, he was extremely angry. Of course, he knew what these ministers were thinking. At the beginning of the war, King Xia said that after the war, the old Somali ministers would be treated well.
Especially the ministers of the kingdom, as long as they were of good character, they would be valued.
This was not an empty promise.
Firstly, the king's words carried weight, and secondly, the treatment of the old Moroccan ministers was proof.
Therefore, even if Somalia was destroyed, these ministers could still keep their families, and even keep their wealth. The only one who would end up miserable and need to be judged would be the king.
The relationship between the family and the country had never been as awkward and embarrassing as it was today.
Thinking of this, how could the Somali King not be angry? With a murderous expression, he stared at the ministers and almost roared: "Are you all mute? Or are you all already thinking of serving the new master? "
As he said this, the Somali King's heart was filled with murderous intent.
War easily made people afraid, and it also easily aroused people's desire to kill. The king, who was almost overwhelmed by the pressure, was like this at the moment. He was stimulated to the point of wanting to kill.
"We are loyal, Your Majesty, please understand!"
Such words scared the ministers so much that they knelt on the ground, trembling. The ministers lowered their heads one by one, afraid that they would attract the king's attention and be beheaded in advance.
"Loyal?" The king sneered. "Since you are loyal, then what do you think we should do now?"
"Only, only fight to the death!"
A minister said in a trembling voice.
"Fight to the death? You die, or I die? "The king's face was gloomy.
The minister was so scared that his legs went soft, and he hurriedly said: "This humble minister deserves to die, this humble minister deserves to die!" As he said that, he kept kowtowing, almost peeing in his pants.
"Hmph!"
The Somali King no longer wanted to look at those useless ministers. He turned to the two representatives of the mutants who had been silent and said: "What about you, do you have any ideas?"
The mutants, like the king, had no way out.
On this point, the two sides were standing on the same side.
It had to be said that although this king was a little greedy, he was not stupid.
Abadi and Aidid looked at each other, and Abadi stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, we have an idea, but …"
"Speak quickly!" The Somali King was so excited that he did not hear the strangeness in Abadi's words.
When Abadi saw this, he glanced at the ministers, intentionally or unintentionally.
The Somali King understood and glanced at the ministers with disgust. He waved his hand as if he was shooing away flies. "All of you can leave!"
"This humble minister will leave!"
The ministers could not wait to leave, and all of them ran faster than rabbits.
The king was not stupid. He was also worried that these guys would tip off the Great Xia Dynasty. This was not impossible.
He had just curried favor with a new master, so there was no reason not to take credit. However, the ministers did not dare to get into trouble at this time. It was naturally important to take credit, but saving their lives was the most important.
After the ministers dispersed, the Somali King asked: "Tell me, what is the plan?"
Abadi did not answer directly, but asked: "Your Majesty, do you think we have a chance of winning?"
"No."
The Somali King's tone was stiff, and his words were very straightforward.
The previous few battles were enough to prove that the two armies were not on the same level at all. Now that they were trapped in an isolated city, how could they have any chance of winning?
"Then what does Your Majesty plan to do?" Abadi continued to ask.
The Somali King was a little angry. The mutant in front of him was too rude, and from his tone, he did not take him seriously at all. This was not a question, it was simply an interrogation.
The king's temper had been irritable recently, and he was about to flare up on the spot. However, when he thought of the current predicament of the kingdom and the need for the help of the mutant, he forcibly held back.
Every king who sat on the throne was not a simple person.
"Even if we can't win, we have to bite a piece of the enemy's flesh. At most, we will rush out and fight with them, and both sides will suffer." A trace of madness flashed in the Somali King's eyes.
That was indeed what the king thought. When people were in despair, there was only madness left in their hearts.
"Since this country is no longer under his rule, then let it go to hell with him."
Seeing this, Abadi said with a gloomy look in his eyes: "In that case, my plan will be useful."
"Speak quickly!" The Somali King's patience was almost exhausted.
Abadi was tactful and did not keep him in suspense. "Your Majesty, since you are ready to fight with the enemy, why not go one step further and drive the people in the city to be the vanguard, while our army quietly follows behind. When the people break up the enemy's formation, we will take the opportunity to kill them, and we will definitely win in the chaos. "
Abadi had heard that the Great Xia Army would not easily kill civilians.
"This …" When the Somali King heard this, he was shocked. His eyes widened, and his heart beat violently. "This, this is using the people as bait?!"
"Exactly."
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