"Sir, why did you let them go like this?"
After the anticlimactic interrogation, Claude ordered the communications soldier to place the three masters and servants in an empty guest room on the second floor of the wooden building. As soon as they left, Markchi asked inexplicably.
"Then what can you do to them?" Claude asked, pointing to the musket accessories in the package on the table: "If the father of Baroness Vacusili is really the firearms master, the famous master of the Eskiline Principality Libweid Miloski, then we can't afford to offend her at all. Her father is a talent that our kingdom needs. If this firearms master is unwilling to serve the kingdom because of us, then the higher ups will probably Punish us to please their father and daughter. So we'd better follow the procedures stipulated above and don't make personal mistakes.
As for the accessories of these two muskets, we don’t need to get to the bottom of it. Many legions are now equipped with this type of Obash type 3 standard muskets, and many of them have been captured by the enemy. Otherwise, the enemy will not rely on our muskets to defend themselves. Craft their precision-aimed shooting muskets. As a well-known firearms master in the eastern part of the mainland, it is normal for him to be interested in getting two muskets for private research. Even if the superiors knew about it, they would just laugh it off and even feel very honored and proud. After all, it is not easy and worthy of boasting that the standard muskets equipped by our kingdom can arouse the interest of a firearms master.
Of course, it would be no big deal if the Baroness of Vacusili deceived us. We don’t know her and the gun master, and we don’t know if there is a real relationship between them. So I left them all here, and then reported to the battalion headquarters to send someone to Pacasia City to investigate. If what she said is true, then we will let her pass. If what she said is a lie, it will not be too late for us to punish her. People are here, are you afraid that they will run away? Anyway, it will be clear in a few days whether it is true or not, but we'd better treat each other with courtesy during this period."
Mark Qi understood: "Sir, you are still thoughtful. I thought it was the female spy who caught the enemy, so I am very happy. This way I can add another mark to my military exploits. I hope I can be like you in a while. Become an official ensign officer of the kingdom.”
Speaking of this, Claude was also a little puzzled: "By the way, it's been over a month and a half, why haven't we accomplished our feat of conquering the Black Maple Castle yet? We also climbed the ice and snow to explore the path in the Picklet Mountains. No one even mentions the credit, so at least we have to give a reward to the first battalion of our rangers. As a pioneer, there is no credit but hard work."
But Claude just complained a few times. The superiors are now paying attention to the Blue Feather Legion. Capturing the three southern counties of the Eskiline Principality is equivalent to inserting a sharp blade into the enemy's hinterland, no matter where it is. The situation of the anti-Austrian coalition forces of the Principality of Modera and the Principality of Eskiline is already very bad. When the rainy season ends in March, a decisive victory in the eastern part of the continent will be close at hand.
Claude wrote an official document about the Baroness of Vacousil, and then found a signal soldier and asked him to make two more copies of the official document, put it on the legs of the carrier pigeon, and send it out tomorrow morning. You can get a reply from the battalion headquarters.
The Kingdom of Ovilas' military communication mainly relies on three methods. The most advanced one is the hawk eagle. This kind of hawk is bred from an early age and used to deliver letters quickly and keep them secret. It’s just that the quantity is scarce and cannot be deployed on a large scale. The second type is carrier pigeon communication, but three of them need to be released each time to deliver three copies of the same letter to avoid losing letters and information due to unexpected events on the way. The last one is to pass by fast horse. The horse rests all the way without rest, and can cover more than 800 miles in a day.
As for the three masters and servants of Baroness Vacusili, Claude arranged them into the guest room at the other end of the corridor on the second floor of the wooden building.
The two-story wooden building in the garrison requisitioned by Claude has four rooms in one row. It was built by the original lord, Baron Novilik V. Flinsland, as a place for him to take his friends before autumn. A place to stay for hunting. The four rooms upstairs are all small suites with their own bathrooms. The largest room downstairs is the dining room, which is said to be the place where the lord held a banquet with his friends after returning from hunting. The next one is the kitchen, and the other is a utility room and a room for the servants.
Claude lived in the leftmost room upstairs. As his attendants, Michael Jack and the big man Gimi originally wanted to live in the maid's room downstairs, but Machik drove him upstairs. As an attendant of a superior, it is natural that he should be as close as possible to the superior, so that he can hear his instructions at any time. Then he occupied the maid's room downstairs by himself. Claude wanted him to go upstairs, but Markchi said that as a squadron leader, he should live downstairs, so that it would be easier for him to get up at night to patrol the sentry.
No one wants to live upstairs with Claude, except for Michael Jack and the big guy Germi. This is probably the hierarchical structure in the Kingdom's army. In addition, although Markchi is a sergeant major and squadron leader, he is still far away from Claude, a formal officer of the kingdom. Living with Claude will make him feel very constrained and unable to let go. It is better to live in a building. Get comfortable.
Two signal soldiers occupied the utility room on the first floor. Because they were carrying a group of six carrier pigeons, they needed a quiet space so as not to disturb the carrier pigeons and prevent them from performing communication tasks. So there were two empty rooms on the second floor. Claude used the one on the right in the middle as his study and his office, and the remaining one as a guest room, ready for the officers to use when the battalion headquarters came to inspect it. Now it comes in handy as a residence for the servants of Baroness Vaxili under house arrest.
As for the two artillery groups of a medical corps and the remaining soldiers of a squadron, they were all placed in the empty stone warehouse. The interior of the warehouse also had two floors, and it was more than enough to station a squadron of men and horses. Besides, there are checkpoints set up on the mountain road, which requires a small team of soldiers to go on duty, and the garrison also needs to send people to stand guard and patrol in rotation, so the accommodation for nearly 60 soldiers is relatively comfortable.
It is still winter, not suitable for groundbreaking. Claude will need to arrange for soldiers to build the camp after the rainy season. After all, the mountain road where this checkpoint is located leads to the Karnas Prairie and the eastern region of the Eskiline Principality. It can be said to be the current border area between the three parties. Even though these two mountain roads are inconvenient for the large army to pass, but thinking about the experience of the Blue Feather Army being able to cross the Picklet Mountains through the smuggling trail, Claude felt that he could not relax his vigilance and guard against the enemy imitating cats and giving himself such a chance. .
At present, Claude can only send out scout cavalry to patrol along the mountain road from a distance every day. If he really discovers the enemy, he can only report it and then retreat with a little resistance, but he has never thought of losing his life here. After all, the order I accepted was to set up checkpoints to prevent infiltration and reconnaissance by spies and small groups of enemy troops, and to suppress local resistance elements. If the enemy attacks in large numbers, he will not be able to hold on here, so retreating with a warning is the best option.
It is best to hope that the enemy will not move from winter to the rainy season. After the rainy season, when the earth warms up and the soil becomes soft, if you are still stationed here, you need to build this camp well so that it can at least withstand the enemy. An attack with a large force. During this time, Claude had looked around at the terrain and had an idea in his mind to turn this station into a small fortress that was easy to defend but difficult to attack. Perhaps when the enemy comes to attack, it will be a reward for himself.
There was a knock on the door, and Claude took back his feet on the table. Only then did he realize that he had been thinking wildly. It was already dark, and it was probably Michael who had brought him dinner.
"Come in," Claude said.
The door opened, but the person who came in was not Madjack, but the Baroness Wakusili. The beautiful lady pouted with an angry look on her face and held a dinner plate in her hand.
Claude stood up quickly and apologized very embarrassedly: "I'm sorry, how can I let the noble lady do the attendant's work? I will teach that lazy attendant right away so that he will not trouble the lady in the future."
The beautiful lady looked surprised, as if she didn't expect Claude to say such a thing, and laughed loudly: "This is mine, not your dinner."
"Uh" Claude was a little confused. It's your dinner, so what do you mean by bringing it to me
The beautiful lady put the dinner plate in her hand on Claude's table, then pointed her finger and angrily asked Claude: "Young sir, please leave us here, is this how you entertain me? "
Claude lowered his head and looked at the food on the plate. Yes, it was a standard portion of food, two slices of rye bread with bacon, a grilled sausage, a cup of black tea, and a plate of dried beef stewed with potatoes. Even as a second lieutenant, I still eat the same thing, with the addition of a fried egg and some candied fruit.
"What's wrong? It doesn't suit your taste?" Claude asked.
"Of course" Madam Beauty glared at Claude: "You keep us here, and I can cooperate with your investigation to prove that I am not a secret agent. But you must give me the noble treatment I deserve, a diet like this, It is very appropriate for my two maids, but for me it is insulting. So I come to ask for food and drink befitting my noble status, so that I can forgive you for your negligence. Mistake.”
Claude suddenly felt a headache coming on, and he dared to admit that this beautiful lady also asked for aristocratic treatment consistent with her status. Sister, you were detained by us on your way to escape, and you are still suspected of being a spy. Can you restrain yourself? This is where the army is stationed, not the noble manor you encountered during your journey. Where can I find it now? The diet you need to suit your aristocratic status
If it hadn't been for the carrier pigeon message that had just been sent to the battalion headquarters in the afternoon, reporting the matter of this beautiful lady, Claude would have wanted to immediately order the release of this beautiful noble lady. Mark Qi is not trying to catch a spy. He is causing a big trouble for himself and should be treated as an ancestor. If this beautiful lady is really the beloved daughter of Master Bird, then he has to endure it, even if he is angry, he must satisfy this beautiful lady.
His father, Master Bird, was a well-known expert in firearms design and manufacturing in the eastern part of the continent. The talents that the kingdom desperately needed were all on the internal list. Even if the Eskiline Principality is destroyed, this firearms master will still receive very high courtesy in the kingdom. As his daughter, I really have to treat her well so as not to make her resentful and say bad things about herself in front of her father. Even if she surrenders to the kingdom in the future, it will have a negative impact on her.
Claude stood at attention, bowed slightly, and performed the aristocratic meeting etiquette: "Sorry, noble Baroness, it was my negligence. I will let them correct it immediately. Please stay here for a while, I will go down and prepare it for you. A dinner that fits who you are.”
The beautiful lady's eyes lit up: "You are also a noble."
She asked this question because she saw that Claude's bow was very standard.
Claude pulled the bell rope in the corner and shook his head: "I am not a noble, I am a commoner. But my pharmacy teacher is a noble of the kingdom. Like you, she is a baroness. These noble etiquette are all hers She forced me to learn because she believed that one day I would become a member of the kingdom's nobility. Now that I have been promoted to second lieutenant, as a formal officer of the kingdom, I am also considered a quasi-noble, and I can practice these noble etiquette."
Michael knocked on the door and came in: "Sir, what are your orders?"
"Bring a bottle of good fruit wine from my bedroom, and bring the silver candlestick to light it. I want to invite Baroness Vacusili to have dinner here." Claude said, turning to look at the beautiful lady: "Baroness, you can taste the fine wines in my collection. I'll go down and have someone prepare dinner for you."