In the makeshift Duke's Bow Stables, these guys recruited by Longbottom lined up.
This slightly humble (relatively speaking of course) duke overlooks a small area. In the imperial capital full of mansions and mansions, such a mansion can only be regarded as a low-end mansion. Obviously, it is very different from Du Wei's duke status. match.
However, the Duke has no shortage of horses.
When the original Luo Lin family withdrew from the imperial capital, the house was sold and everyone was dismissed. However, Earl Luo Lin's mansion, which is a martial arts family, had many horses, and Du Wei took all of them.
"You can choose your own mounts as you like." Longbottom ordered, and each of these downcast warriors showed surprise expressions on their faces.
When you came to this Tulip Duke, everyone already knew the identity of the owner here, and it turned out to be the young Grand Duke who has become famous all over the world recently! Think about how I was looking for food in the slave market pitifully the day before, but now I have entered the most popular wealthy family in the empire!
How about owning a horse of your own? !
However, Longbottom looked at these guys struggling to ride horses, shook his head secretly, looked at Du Wei beside him, and said in a low voice: "Hey, these guys are just warriors, not knights. From now on, when you go to the northwest part, it's okay if you don't know how to ride horses." How can it be done! In the northwest, even children can ride horses.”
Basically, as long as the warriors on the mainland have the level of genuine warriors, they have passed the assessment of the Knights Association. But for most people, they are just "samurai", but they cannot be called "knights".
The so-called knight, the simplest truth: You must at least be able to ride a horse, right
But for these low-level warriors, they couldn't even support themselves, so how could they have the money to raise a horse of their own? The cost of feeding a horse is far more expensive than feeding a person!
The downfall of warriors. This is the status quo on the mainland, and the "Knights Association", which existed in name only, used to be a powerful organization on the mainland alongside the Magic Union, but now it has been reduced to nowhere. The Cavaliers Association is responsible for assessing and awarding knight rank badges.
But most people who practice martial arts can't even afford a horse... They only know martial arts skills, but they don't know how to ride a horse.
And these guys in front of me, although they are all warriors, not knights...
"Huh?" Longbottom's eyes suddenly lit up. He saw Lao Yan who was the last one to get on his horse. The most powerful guy recruited today, he can actually ride a horse! And it seems that his riding skills are quite good, his posture on the horse is very clean and neat, and it seems that he has undergone strict training. And his posture on the horse... the upper body is stopped straight, and his legs are not clamped tightly to the horse's belly like other rookies, which looks very relaxed.
"This guy is a "knight." Longbottom became more and more curious about this old smoke: "He has good martial arts skills, and his riding skills seem to be good. To have such a strong strength and such a riding skill, How could it be reduced to the slave market to find food?"
This question is also what Du Wei wanted to ask.
This temporary duke is small though. However, as a typical aristocratic mansion, some basic facilities are still available, such as... a small but adequate racetrack.
After leaving the rookies to practice riding happily, Longbottom called Lao Yan into the room alone, and Du Wei was also waiting in the room.
Lao Yan's expression was a bit complicated, he probably thought of what the Lord Duke was doing to call him in.
really…
"Report your service number. Knight!" Longbottom didn't wait for Lao Yan to stand still, he stood up suddenly, and then shouted loudly.
Almost like a conditioned reflex, as a result of years of training, Lao Yan involuntarily stood up straight, put his legs and hands together, stomped the leather boots under his feet, and then shouted loudly: "The Royal Guards of the Royal City The cavalry commander of the sixth squadron of the fourth cavalry squadron of the Guards... "
When it came to the end, Lao Yan suddenly realized that he was no longer in the Imperial Forest Army.
But Longbottom and Du Wei were already very satisfied with the result.
Seeing the unnatural expression on this guy named Lao Yan, Du Wei smiled: "You used to be an officer of the Imperial Forest Army?"
"… Yes."
Longbottom smiled relievedly: "No wonder I saw you like to tuck your trousers into your boots... Only those imperial guards who like to look good will do that."
Lao Yan blushed a little. Indeed, the Imperial Forest Army, which paid great attention to royal dignity, was different from ordinary troops in many details. Especially in terms of personal appearance, the Imperial Forest Army could be called a model.
Their uniforms are always neat, and there is no wrinkle on the trousers. They also like to tuck the trousers into the long riding boots, making the whole person look extraordinarily tall and straight.
However, the saying "like to be beautiful" still deeply hurt Lao Yan. He seemed to think of the day of the coup d'état, when the three thousand most elite Imperial Forest Army were still dressed in "beautiful" equipment, and were defeated by a thousand rebels like rabbits. Chased and fled everywhere.
Soldiers should pay attention to appearance, but if you pursue appearance too much... then it can only be regarded as a guard of honor.
"Okay, my general." Du Wei waved his hand to Longbottom with a smile, then looked at Lao Yan, and said softly, "I think, you don't need me to ask, you understand what I want to ask, right?"
Lao Yan nodded, and he sighed: "My lord, are you planning to arrest me for desertion?"
Indeed, this was what Lao Yan was most worried about. The imperial army's punishment for deserters is extremely severe, without any room for maneuver... The crime of desertion, kill!
"Tell me about your experience, Lao Yan." Du Wei smiled.
"I... used to be a Imperial Forest Army." Old Eye gritted his teeth: "Just before the Summer Festival, I have been serving in the Imperial Forest Army for twelve years..."
Afterwards, Lao Yan recounted what happened to the 3,000 Royal Forest Army that he was in on the day of the coup d'état and was about to undergo a review.
"... I was shot by an arrow, and it was here." Lao Yan pointed to the wound on his chest: "I fainted, but I didn't die. Later, when the battlefield was being cleaned up, I was moved to the city as a dead body. Outside. In the middle of the night, I woke up and found myself lying in a pile of dead people, the surroundings were quiet, and the incineration site in the distance was burning corpses in batches. There were rebels and our people. I didn’t know it at the time Did the rebels win or we won, so I didn't dare to go out, I left there quietly... They were understaffed, and there were too many corpses, there were thousands of corpses, but less than a hundred guards, So I quietly left there and none of them found it."
"And then?" Du Wei nodded.
"Then I slipped to a nearby town and slept one night in a hay shed where a farmhouse piled up hay. When I woke up at noon the next day, I stole a piece of clothing and went to the river to wash my wounds. Then when I was on the mainland, I was rescued by a group of merchants. I told them that there was a coup in the imperial capital, and I was a commoner... Those days were very chaotic, and many civilians in the imperial capital were injured. My statement did not arouse others’ suspicion. Those merchants gave me some medicine and food, and then left. A few days later, I returned to the imperial capital."
"You're back." Du Wei nodded: "Then, at that time, you should have known which side won the coup, right? Since the royal family won, why didn't you return to the Imperial Forest Army? People like you who bravely killed the enemy and were wounded on the day of the coup, and finally survived the catastrophe, will be rewarded, why don't you go back?"
Lao Yan was silent, but Du Wei could see that there seemed to be flames burning in the eyes of this man in his thirties!
"My lord, we have a total of 3,000 people, and most of them died. Especially in the squad I was in, all my brothers were dead. And in the squadron I was in, our leader died in battle. I'm probably the only one who survived." Lao Yan's voice was a little excited, even a little dry: "I have worked there for twelve years, and my royal family is loyal. Every time after work, we would drink and gamble together, and find women together. I still remember that when I broke my leg while riding a horse, my chief personally carried me back from the horse farm! But... they are all dead. " At the end, Lao Yan's voice was dry: "They are all dead."
Du Wei didn't speak, Longbottom hesitated, bit his lip, but didn't make a sound.
"I remember their names, they are all my brothers, my officer, Captain Hank, he is a good officer, he is strict with us, and he invites us to drink at his house when he is not on duty, and There's Lusa, who I owed sixteen horns to when I gambled, and Renl, a guy on our team, we got into a fight over a girl before the coup d'etat, and I think afterwards Apologize to him... but..." Lao Yan's voice trembled suddenly, as if he was so clumsy, repeating a fact dryly: "But they are all dead."
"But their death is not your fault." Du Wei looked into the old smoke's eyes: "They were killed by the rebels. You are lucky not to die, why don't you go back?"
Lao Yan didn't answer Du Wei's words. Instead, he asked Du Wei a question: "Your Excellency, what happened on the day of the coup was spread in the imperial capital, and everyone knows what happened." Lao Yan's eyes There is a hint of gray in his eyes, and his eyeballs were originally light gray. At this moment, he looks like a dying person: "My lord, His Royal Highness, Prince Chen, he has become the regent. On the day of the coup d'état, he had already prepared for it." , he already knew that the eldest prince would rebel! He knew it a long time ago, he knew everything! So he arranged so many backhands, and finally he won easily. Now, he is the regent, and in the future, he will become the emperor, Am I right?"
Du Wei suddenly felt that he understood the heart of the middle-aged man in front of him!
"Since Prince Chen already knew about it, why didn't he stop him?"
"Since Prince Chen already knew, why did the three thousand of us have to die?"
"Since Prince Chen already knew about it, why didn't he do something before the coup?"
"Prince Chen, since he already knew,...?"
Du Wei couldn't answer these questions, or in other words, he knew the answer, but he couldn't write it down.
"Dear Duke, do you think you can't answer?" Old Yan smiled wryly for the rest of his life: "I actually know it myself."
He took a deep breath: "Because Prince Chen didn't even think about stopping the coup in advance, he needed to use the coup to get rid of the eldest prince, he needed that coup, so our three thousand people, The pawns abandoned by him are the bait he gave up. The death of three thousand of us can make the first prince mistakenly think that the coup d'etat is going smoothly... The three thousand of us must die, because we are in Prince Chen's plan, In the beginning, it was abandoned.”
Finally, Lao Yan concluded: "I understand all of these."
Du Wei sighed, but Longbottom who was beside him suddenly slammed his fist hard on the table.
"I am a royal guard." The old voice was very heavy: "I used to be extremely loyal to the royal family. As long as the redbud flower imperial flag points to the place, I am willing to fight bloody battles, and I am willing to fight with my statement! To defend the royal family , but that day, I survived a catastrophe, and then suddenly found ridiculously... the person I originally loyal to, he is not worthy of my allegiance at all!"
"I'm a soldier, and I'm willing to fight to the death! But... I absolutely don't want to be betrayed and give up and die! So, I, who survived, refuse to serve the royal family again, and I won't go back again!"