Travel through time and become a member of the Warhammer Empire

Chapter 374 The Shadow of Miragliano

Windlow knew one thing: compared to the Empire, in Tyrell, a land full of various forces, even the youngest children were well aware of the existence of ratmen.

The people of the entire Tyrell and Estalia regions fought against the ratmen for more than a thousand years.

First they fought with wooden spears, then they fought with bronze weapons, and finally humans used black powder and the ratmen used "green powder".

And according to the Tyrells' knowledge, they successfully forced the ratmen back into the Withered Swamp by relying on the tactics of powerful heavy crossbows, huge shields, muskets and light artillery.

Unfortunately, the Tyrell states lack the ability to attack the swamp areas, and attacking the ratmen's nests does not seem to be profitable.

During these 2000 years, the ratmen have been lurking deep underground throughout the Southern Kingdom.

But the Tyrells did not completely relax. They still retained the most basic response measures and the most complete sewer patrol system.

The most important point is that the Tyrells know that the ratmen are an independent race, and unlike the Empire, they do not classify humanoid rats as some special variant of beastmen.

The iron gate of the noble district in the inner city of Miragliano slowly opened, and Wendlow was treated with the highest courtesy.

He had prepared in advance a feather hat to represent his status as an imperial baron, a hat that was stupid, ostentatious, had no protective capabilities, and made his neck sore.

Above - there is only one white feather, representing the identity of a baron. If there are two white feathers, it means it is an imperial knight. If there is one white and one red, it represents the entry-level Rick Guard.

In addition to Windlo's identity as a businessman and the credit endorsement of his previous trade in Miragliano, he met with the supreme leader of Miragliano directly without any stop.

Giuliano, the Merchant Prince, is a shrewd businessman and politician of short stature but with eyes as sharp as a hawk.

The windows and doors of the room he was in were reinforced with iron chains, and the floor and ceiling were inlaid with various iron plates, like a defensive formation.

When he heard the word "Skaven" from Wendlow's mouth, his brows relaxed a little.

With a wave of his hand, the guard at the door immediately closed the heavy and secure door, leaving only Wendlow, the merchant prince Giuliano, and a black-clad bodyguard under his command in the room.

"Finally, I have someone I can talk to. It's so uncomfortable to keep words stuck in my mouth."

Merchant Prince Giuliano took out a list, on which almost two-thirds of the portraits and names were marked with red crosses.

Looking at their titles, the commander of a company of Tyrell Heavy Shield Crossbowmen, the chief ceremonial officer of the Upper Merchant Council, and the chairman of the Far East Trading Company, all the dead were well-known and influential figures.

"The Rat People have been carrying out large-scale assassinations in the past three months. This was not the case before."

In the past, assassinations by ratmen were not so frequent, and some human businessmen even hired ratmen to assassinate their business rivals.

But now, the ratmen seem to have begun to assassinate high-ranking political and military officials in Tyrell in a targeted manner.

"The rats underground! They're going crazy! More active than ever! In the Miragliano dock warehouse area, six months' worth of grain reserves were stolen in the past month! At the saltpeter mines in the West District, guards reported hearing... the roar of machinery deep underground! Can you believe it? Underground, the roar of machinery? And in the East District's sewers, three experienced Tyrell rat-catchers disappeared! In the end, only gnawed bones and broken Tyrell badges were found!"

Merchant Prince Giuliano spoke quickly and incoherently. He opened a drawer, took out a report stained with suspicious brown stains, and threw it on the table.

"I hired 'Tyrell Sewer Intelligence'—you know what I mean, those Skaven who serve Miragliano."

"Ratman spy."

Windlow didn't have many doubts. After all, the ratmen were notorious for betrayal, and were even willing to betray their brothers who were born in the same litter for a piece of bread.

"Any useful information?"

Merchant Prince Giuliano pointed to the report he had just taken out and motioned for Windlo to read it himself.

"The Skaven spies stated that the Skaven warlords and clan leaders had received a plan to order all Skaven to unite and stop fighting among themselves."

"The Council of Thirteen, the highest ruling body of the ratmen, held a meeting. Only the leaders of the twelve largest clans knew about the content of the meeting."

"Some rat spies have begun to refuse to serve us. After interrogation, we found that they were afraid of something and worried that their identities would be exposed."

"The identities of some of our Skaven spies were exposed. After they brought back intelligence, a strange plague broke out among the entire Skaven population, and they instantly collapsed to the ground and bled profusely."

He leaned forward, staring intently at Windlow.

"It means there is a plan, a plan so huge and evil that it drives all rats crazy, and it is kept so secret that they are willing to eliminate all those who know about it! And the target,"

He slammed the map again, the world map.

"There must be more than one Miragliano city, and more than just the Tyrell states!"

"Prince."

Wendlow said in a deep voice.

"Why are you telling me these things?"

"Wendlow, an ordinary baron is also an ordinary businessman. You are definitely not on the ratmen's assassination list."

Merchant Prince Giuliano smiled, a smile that came from the heart.

"I'm definitely on the Ratman's assassination list, but I've already made preparations. I randomly selected many low-level military officers and bureaucrats and told them all about my future plans."

"The more people who know what to do next, the less impact my death will have."

Then, Merchant Prince Giuliano told Wendlow his strategic deployment as quickly as possible.

"We'll share intelligence and coordinate defense. The elves' magic can effectively detect the underground. We can also open the floodgates to allow seawater to flow back and drown all the ratmen in the sewers."

"My men are familiar with the Skaven's patterns and weaknesses. The Tyrells possess superior conventional armaments, engineering capabilities, and... a deep understanding of the local underground structures."

"Large underground facilities, abandoned mines, ancient tombs, and waterway hubs all have additional supplies, which can be used by assault teams to fight deep underground."

"The walls of Miragliano are also ready with material support - dwarven-forged protective metals, incendiary materials and explosives that can effectively kill large groups of ratmen."

At this moment, the thick door was opened again, and a short guy in a black robe sneaked in, then looked around and made a squeaking sound.

When he took off the cloak, he found himself a Skaven. He raised his hands in panic, with joy and fear in his eyes.

"Prince, Prince, I have found the Ratman's tactical plan for the next attack on Miragliano. Give me paper and pen and I can draw it. Yes, yes, what is your price?"

"I'll give you 1000 gold coins!"

"I'll draw it for you right away, right away, yes, yes."

The rat man almost jumped up and went straight to the table to get paper and pen. As long as he completed this deal, with 1000 gold coins and experience in dealing with humans, he would be able to live a life of luxury.

But at this moment, a dagger coated with poison suddenly pierced his chest, and then his big hand twisted, and with a click, his neck was completely shattered.

The only sound in the room was the sound of a body falling to the ground.

"thump."